Crossroads
by Espresso Yourself
Summary: Nagisa leaves work dissatisfied with his first day at a new position and lonelier than ever but finds solace in a few brief moments with a brunet stranger and some crossword puzzles in a coffee shop. He leaves without a name, but as fate would have it, he's presented with another chance. Multichapter AU. Reigisa, Makoharu, Seigou, among other things.
1. Crossword

**A/N: **Inspired by a prompt from tumblr's Imagine your OTP; "Imagine your OTP taking shelter from the rain in a small cafe, working together on a crossword puzzle." This was originally meant as a one-shot for my tumblr, " .com". After letting it sit for a few months, however, I decided to keep working on it and lo and behold, we have a multichapter. I'm hoping to have around 21 chapters when I'm finished. This'll also be posted on AO3 under my same penname, Espresso Yourself. Since this will definitely end up explicit, I'm posting uncensored chapters there.

**Chapter One:** Crossword

One look outside rained upon Nagisa's parade - quite literally. He had been looking forward to sauntering outside in the cool autumn sunshine and declaring to the world that he was no longer just an eye-candy assistant but a man worth knowing, a man who was now in charge of an accessories column in The Elite, one of the best known fashion magazines throughout the world! And his first day on the job, as a celebration of sorts, he wore his best plum-silk button down, a mustard-yellow cardigan, and dark-wash semi-formal jeans, appropriately accessorized with a scarf to tie in all the colors and tiny hoop earrings half hidden by his strawberry blond locks. And it dared to rain today, of all days.

"I mean, couldn't it have waited until the weekend? It's only two days till Saturday!" Nagisa complained, bemoaning the weather to Gou, his friend who'd been put in charge of the magazine's blog. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it's not like the day's almost over all ready," she replied sarcastically, making a tapping gesture with her pencil towards Nagisa's laptop. He lay dejectedly upon his keyboard, long since having finished his rough draft. "You're like, done anyways, right?" she continued. "Take it easy, go home early." Nagisa shook his blond hair in exasperation.

"But I can't just abandon my post early on the first day! What would the boss think? What if she found out? I'd never live it down! She'd think poorly of me and I'd have to build our relationship from scratch!"

"You know her better than that - if she comes by and sees you gone, I'll just tell her what a great job you did. You busted your ass for this position - she knows that, I know that, the whole magazine does. After all those extra hours you pulled, you deserve an early night." Nagisa again glanced out the rain-blurred window and thought of home, where a long, hot bath, a fire place, and some pajamas awaited him. A life of warmth.

"On second thought," he said, snatching the coat from his desk chair and slipping it on, "you may be right." Gou nodded.

"Thought so."

And so he found himself hustling through the streets of the city, weaving through a maze of skyscrapers whose glowing fingertips barely brushed the darkening clouds. Nagisa shivered as rain bulleted his tan trench coat and water slapped the ankles of his black boots. A wind picked up, splashing between the blocks of buildings. Absently, he wondered why on earth he walked to work. A diet wasn't worth this much trouble. He glanced around for a place to hole up and await the worst of the rain to pass and spotted a little coffee shop across the street. Tugging the collar of his coat around him, he jogged towards it and slipped in quietly.

A bell's jingle disturbed the static of the music and for a brief moment, the gaze of everyone flickered toward the newcomer before silently returning to what tasks were at hand. Nagisa approached the counter and quietly ordered an espresso, looking around for a place to sit. The pungent air around him clashed - cold, sodden, refreshing storm with the hot grounds of coffee. The rustic wood decor brought to mind an elderly time where houses were few and far between, tucked behind the trees, and people waited out the rain, the snow, alone save a candle.

The blond collected his coffee with a sigh; no use in such sad thoughts. He paid little heed to where he sat and was rather surprised to find himself looking out at the sidewalk, where shades trudged onward to home. He did not wish to dwell on them.

"Ah," he breathed quietly - he hadn't finished the crossword puzzle from the morning's paper, he recalled, and quickly shuffled a hand through his bag before his fingertips brushed the rice-grain edge of the soft news. He tugged it out and lay it before himself, snatching a pen from his pocket to complete it. Now where had he left off… Ah, yes, a four letter word, going across. All four spaces were empty. It had stumped him well, for the only clue given was "twinkle-toed". Nagisa gave the end of his pen a nibble and took a sip of coffee. Perhaps glee? Zeal? Neither one made perfect sense and so, frustrated, he moved on to whiz through some of the other blank words on the crossword. The last letter of his little problem proved to be 'y'. Out loud, the blond mumbled, "What's a word that could mean twinkle-toed that ends in 'y'." He chewed the edge of his pen for a few seconds more when a whispered answer was carried back to him, accompanied by the scratch of a pen over paper.

"Spry." Nagisa whipped around and saw that he'd been sitting back to back with a different customer.

"What was that?" he eagerly demanded of the man. Rather startled, the stranger turned about face to address the blond. Nagisa was rather bewildered when a rather handsome face framed by dark hair and odd red glasses came to look at him.

"Spry - it means lively and active or brisk," he replied, his voice significantly lower than the blond's - and rightfully so, as this setting was not one in which to shout. Nagisa peeped over his shoulder.

"Is that the crossword you're working on? Mind if I join you?" Without awaiting a reply from the flustered man, he transferred himself to the seat across the gentleman and began copying the answers down. After a moment of initial shock, the other man reciprocated his actions. "You don't have 21 across, do you?" Nagisa asked pleasantly.

"No, not yet," he said thoughtfully, gazing steadily at his paper. The blond took a moment to assess that he was well-dressed, and while his choice in wardrobe was astoundingly plain, the cut of his button-down, coat, and slacks were all impeccable; Nagisa would not have been surprised if they'd been specifically tailored to him. His build seemed tall, though not quite lanky, as opposed to his own short stature. "Relax soldier," he breathed, "with 't' as the second letter." His brow furrowed in concentration and he used his index finger to shove his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Oh! At ease!" Nagisa contributed, scribbling down the answer in its correct space. His companion glanced at him with slight curiosity, as if to ask him how he knew and the blond responded with, "My father was in the military. We'd have to sit all stiff like to solute him until he said 'at ease' and then we'd all relax." The taller man nodded thoughtfully. He jumped forward to the next. "Chemically quiet," Nagisa mused.

"Inert," the other man offered, filling in the blank space. The 'e' intersected with at ease. "I took a few biochemical engineering classes."

"Watson's companion," Nagisa recited, trying to locate where it was on the puzzle when quite suddenly, his companion blurted,

"Holmes!" The blond glanced up at him, eyebrows raised, and with embarrassment, he admitted, "I loved the Sherlock Holmes books." Nagisa gave a pout and protested,

"It was my turn to reveal something! You broke the pattern."

"It seems I have," he stated, before finally allowing a smile. "Please, proceed." And so Nagisa did.

With his companion's help, finishing the crossword was a breeze, but quite more enjoyable with someone at his side. While they spoke in mere whispers, it was not long until their voices sounded loud and out of place, irregardless of the low hum of the music and pit-pattering of keys. The blond could not quite put his finger on it, but when he cast a glance outside, he'd noticed that the rain and shine had come and gone and the sun had left the city to be bathed in swatches of indigo and dim orange.

"Oh," Nagisa remarked when he noticed the time, "it's late. Sorry," he stood, "but I have to go." He gave his companion a shy smile, which was timidly returned. Nagisa turned and exited the shop, having missed the rosy cheeks he left upon the man's face. All the way home, the blond's smile did not vanish; what a pleasant evening it had turned out to be! It was difficult to find one so sincere these days, so earnest. He'd truly enjoyed the stranger's company.

The loneliness did not hit him until he shut his door. Vaguely, he recalled that no one would be there to greet him, not even a pet. He slipped to his kitchen and poured himself some cheap wine, then lit the fireplace and watched the wood burn. Like paper, the edges of the logs crumbled up and off, forming a grey city of ashes below. How foolish of him to leave without so much as a name. Nagisa had come to a house; he had not yet found home.


	2. British Racing Green

**A/N:** I guess this is just a glimpse into Nagisa's life, really. Nothing much special about this chapter. The end gets a little crappy because I'm really lazy, but that's okay. And yes, my portrayal of Nagisa is really, really, really feminine. Not sure why - maybe time will tell in the course of this story? The chapter title came from a really pretty nailpolish my sister gave me. The company's Butter by London. Same color as Nagisa's sweater! Thank you to all who read this earlier! Also, I'd google herringbone chain if you don't know what it looks like, it's quite a pretty, simplistic design.

**Chapter Two:** British Racing Green

Nagisa awoke on his couch in front of his ashy fireplace, the lonesome grey of the morning dripping in through closed curtains. Tick-tock was the beat of the clock and drip-drop was rain's rhythm on his panes as the far away sun rolled into the sky. He was still wearing his jeans from the previous day, accompanied by an old university pull-over sweatshirt and a throw rug. A photo album lay on his lap and a wine glass with its bottle sat on his coffee table. The book was open to pictures of his father and family. The wine bottle was empty. Nagisa sighed; he truly had been lonely that night.

He shook out his hair - damn, his head hurt - and slipped off the couch, refusing to think on it any longer. His heart disagreed and continued to feel it, but Nagisa successfully distracted himself with temporary outrage when he saw the clock on his microwave which read 5:30 AM.

"Of all the days I wake up on my own, and it's five in the morning," he groaned as he shuffled off the carpet and onto the kitchen floor. His naked feet left odd pattering sounds and had to peel themselves off of the linoleum. Absently, he wondered how long it'd been since he mopped as he opened the fridge. "Let's see..." he mumbled, scanning the shelves. He sighed and settled on orange juice, noting that half the things he had were expired or well on their way. He pulled out the butter as well, then shut the fridge and popped some bread in the toaster. Just a glass for his juice and some ibuprofen to top it all off!

He downed the last of his orange juice and took a couple pills to rid him of his hangover. His toast would be a while yet; in the meantime, he chose an outfit. It took some digging and pulling and tossing his sheets, but he found a v-neck emerald sweater made of a lovely cashmere, a white button-down, his trench coat from the previous day, and after some debate, almost guiltily decided upon wearing the very jeans he had slept in. Nagisa was pretty sure no one would notice.

When he heard the toast pop, he left everything laying on his bed - save his pants - and buttered it up. He leaned against his counter and gazed out of his kitchen window at his neighborhood outside. Little tears fell upon the glass and though the sky gradually lightened, the day promised dark. He munched his toast thoughtfully and allowed his cheer to slip with the running water on his window and regret leaked into his heart. He really wished he weren't so stupid. He could've asked for a name, a number, anything! How could he just forget? As far as dressing went, he supposed the man at the coffee shop could do better, but that didn't really matter. He'd been nice to Nagisa. He'd been so earnest. He swallowed his little pains with the last of the tasteless toast. He'd complain to Gou later.

When he finished dressing himself, he trotted off to the bathroom and gave a start when he saw his appearance. His hangover hadn't been that bad, but he certainly looked like he'd been totally trashed last night. "Classy, Hazuki," he muttered to himself, leaning into the mirror and pulling at his cheeks to assess the damage. Brown streaks ran down either side of his face from where his eyeliner and mascara had run and his foundation had given him a couple pimples near his jaw. He whined a little and grabbed a facial towel to wipe everything away and begin anew. He laid off the foundation for today; his skin needed a breather and yesterday had been a special occasion anyhow. Instead, he just used a matte brown palette for his eyes and gave himself two thin lines for liner. He only gave his top lashes mascara today.

Nagisa nodded to himself in the mirror and checked his appearance. His makeup was expertly applied and subtle enough that it barely looked present. If there was a goddess of good-looking, she'd blessed Nagisa with the delicacy of a butterfly's wing today, despite the couple of breakouts he had. He fished through a couple of his drawers and snatched an elegant pair of gold earrings that stretched halfway to his collarbone. He hesitated in choosing a necklace; on one hand, he had an almost chunky locket that matched the earrings perfectly, but on the other was a simple slightly tarnished herringbone chain. It was real gold and had been a gift from his father.

Now, as Nagisa was in charge of the accessories column, he'd promised himself that he'd set a good example for everyone around and have the most stylish, up-to-date jewelry. As over-the-top was in style at the moment, that meant that he should choose the youthfully charming locket, oughtn't he? Yet still, he sighed and picked up the little tarnished chain. He could feel warmth at the clasp still, after so many years, where his father first fastened it around his neck. Nagisa checked his reflection; the simplicity was becoming of him, he decided.

When he peeped out of the bathroom and checked the time, he was pleasantly surprised to find it was 7:30. It seemed there was no need to race the clock today, he remarked to himself, grinning as he grabbed his coat and slipped on some knee high, dark brown boots. They were one of his favorites, what with their lighter border at the top. It made him think of horses and racetracks.

Now in higher spirits, Nagisa practically skipped through the rain and down the couple blocks until he found his bus stop. Three others waited there as well; a teenager and a young businessman sat together in the shelter and a gruff old man stood off to the side. The girl had headphones plugged into her ears - he'd never seen her take them out - and wore too much make-up. From where he stood, he could pick up on the hum of her music - some American hit, he assumed. The businessman was somewhere in his thirties and had just gotten over the post-marital bliss stage in his relationship, Nagisa thought. He was on his cellphone, sharing none too gentle words with his wife. The two in the bus shelter were well-occupied so Nagisa approached the elderly stranger and greeted him,

"Good morning." He flashed him a grin. The elderly man frowned back and replied,

"Beg pardon, what was that?" His voice was crisp as a red autumn leaf.

"Good morning," Nagisa repeated with more force than the first time. The teen rolled her eyes and the young man shot them a dirty look. The blond rubbed his neck uncomfortably.

"Yes, yes, lovely weather we're having," the old man quipped irritably, rolling his shoulders a little and shuffling closer to the shelter and out of the rain. Nagisa was spared from sharing more words as the bus rolled up. The four paid their daily fares; they found their seats and went separate ways.

Well after the bus had pulled into the city and had begun working its way through morning traffic, Nagisa found himself looking out the wet window, searching the tall city for a coffee shop, tucked within its nooks and crannies. He checked his phone - if he stopped early, he'd have enough time to walk to work the rest of the way, assuming he went quickly and the line was short. Perhaps it was too much to hope that the stranger would be back, looking for him, confessing that he'd felt a connection, and inviting him out for a romantic evening at an expensive restaurant... and in a moment, Nagisa fell for a fantasy, barely ringing the bell in time to signal a stop when he caught sight of the little shack. He jumped off of the red bus and swaggered into the shop.

The shop that was now quite busy and had a lengthy line that did not, in fact, hold the tall, handsome stranger. The blond felt a twinge of disappointment. If fate didn't dictate that they meet again, then it probably wasn't meant to be anyhow. Nonetheless, he shot a quick text to Gou and asked her if she wanted anything. It couldn't hurt to grab some coffee and wait around to see if he showed up. Nagisa snorted - at this point, he really was desperate.

The brunet man never did show up. Even after the five minute wait to order and the ten minute wait to collect his non-fat hazelnut espresso and Gou's two-shot Americano, he still wasn't there. Nagisa's trudge to his building, up the elevator, and onto the seventh floor were dejected and he didn't greet his coworker with his usual smile when he handed her the coffee.

"Oh, thanks," the redhead sighed, taking the cup gratefully. "I swear, you have like, a sixth sense when it comes to the days I don't have time to make coffee - oh, and here's the newspaper in return." By the time she wasn't interrupted and had taken a sip of her drink, she worked out that something wasn't right. Nagisa nudged a pencil up and down with his fingers, watching it roll back and forth across his desk, a frown having worked its way between his brows. "Wow, okay," Gou continued, "you look like a kicked puppy. What's up?" Nagisa heaved a melodramatic sigh.

"Oh, not much. There was just this cute guy I ran into the other day and I was hoping to see him again and I didn't. And I have a hell of a hangover."

"Just what did you do with this cute guy?" Gou snickered. The blond rolled his eyes.

"A crossword puzzle at a coffee shop. I just drank too much wine when I got home."

"Don't we all?"

"Charming." They shared a laugh and swiveled back to their computers.

"Nagisa!" called a woman's voice from down the hall. Both he and Gou poked their heads up and caught sight of their boss leaning out from her office. "Come over here a second!" she beckoned. The partners shared a nervous glance which carried a single thought - Nagisa really should have stayed until the end of his shift.

Nagisa tossed his coat over his chair and smoothed down his sweater. Maybe he should have worn the bigger necklace after all. He recalled the locket remorsefully, as it was safely tucked away in his drawer.

"What can I do for you, Ms. Amakata?" he asked politely, shutting the door softly behind him. He wasn't really sure why - the office reminded him of an ice cube in the far corner of the level, as it was all glass and always blasted cold air.

"Hear you left early yesterday," she began, leafing through some papers nonchalantly. Nagisa stiffened - he was so getting fired, or demoted if he was lucky. She glanced up at him and shook her head. "For God's sake, relax, I don't care. I called you in for a favor. In about an hour, there's a meeting going on with some marketers from some fashion company - oh, who was it again?" she trailed off.

"Zara?" Nagisa supplied, recalling it briefly from when he'd written it in her schedule about a month before. He felt annoyance begin to prick at the back of his mind. He was a columnist now, not her assistant.

"No, some upstart designer," she corrected, frowning down at the little journal. "What will I ever do with out you," she commented dryly. "Anyhow, since you just got a promotion, I haven't had time to find a new assistant. Mind serving coffee and passing files out? It'd be a big help."

"Um - sure," he affirmed, not wanting to say no. She was giving him a sweet look that told him she'd hold it against him if he refused. He briefly wondered how her fiancee found it attractive.

"Thanks," she replied, grabbing a formidable stack of manila folders filled with papers and handing them to Nagisa. "Now if you'd just take these and sort through them - remember, you have an hour. Get Gou to help you, she doesn't have anything pressing to do." And so, arms laden with paperwork, Nagisa scampered back to his desk.

"Wow, how much work do you have to do when you get fired?" Gou teased, knowing fully that he'd be in tears if anything really bad had happened.

"Not much when I have you for help," Nagisa retorted testily, balancing the stack on low half-wall between their desks. "We've got, like, an hour to sort through all these. Looks like this is the schedule." He picked up a paper separate from the rest and scanned it through. The marketers of the designer - some heiress from New York, probably - were coming to discuss how to run a green and sustainable business. "I'm a little pissed," Nagisa confessed with a lowered voice, leaning closer to Gou. "I mean, like, I already got the promotion, right? Shouldn't she have a new assistant by now? Why do I have to deal with all this?"

"Hey," Gou replied, "we're in this one together. Let's get started," she sighed, saving a draft and shutting her laptop.


	3. Coffee Grounds

**A/N: **I'm sorry. I meant for this to be longer or something. I feel like this is really bad. Or that the overall story progression is too slow. Ah well. Sorry for the poor quality of the last two chapters in comparison with the first. I hope it will get better as less of it takes place at the workplace and more happens in Nagisa's *coughbedroomcough* house. I'm posting Chapter Four either tomorrow or later today, since this one is a wimp.

**Chapter Three:** Coffee Grounds

Nagisa and Gou had only finished about two-thirds of their work when the hour was up. Right on the dot, a brisk bundle of men in astoundingly dull suits marched in the office, not quite going two-by-two. Their voices were a busybody's hum, their singular mind, superior and hive-like. He felt his lip curl at the sight of them. They made a beeline for the meeting room and Nagisa groaned.

"Ugh, they're here - how far have we gotten?" Gou, long since having transferred herself and the folders to the floor, peeked up from her lake of papers with prey's panic in her dark eyes.

"We're only two-thirds through!" She glanced over her shoulder and Nagisa followed her line of sight. These men were not forgiving of tardiness and therefore Ms. Amakata would not be either.

His boss was now hustling over to the boardroom. She caught his eye and furiously tapped at her watch as though it were necessary to point out that they'd run out of time. Her eyes pleaded as if to say 'do something', so the blonde popped up and did what he'd done every day for the three years he'd worked as her assistant: he ran to the break-room and made coffee.

"Let's see," he muttered to himself, scanning through the grounds. They had a small variety; a lovely dark roast someone had brought from a trip to Spain, a light cinnamon roast from a company most of the office workers - Nagisa included - positively adored, and a handful of pungent medium roasts. There were three coffee makers in the break-room and a large stack of paper cups someone had thought to bring in from the cafeteria. He poured what was left in each coffee pot into the cups, giving him about six cups, placed them on a tray, and hurried to meeting, faking a gentle smile as he pushed the door open.

The other men glanced at him, summed up a quick judgement, and proceeded to focus on their work. Whether or not they'd mistaken him for a woman, he was clearly beneath their notice, like mud in the crack of a sidewalk. A receptionist to fetch coffee and papers and look confused when the copier got jammed. Nagisa barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes at them - thank God this was the last time he'd ever have to work as an assistant.

He worked his way around the table, softly murmuring, "May I interest you in some coffee?" only occasionally receiving a 'yes', 'no', or 'what roast?', followed by a 'no'. They didn't bother with pleasantries. His smile fast faded and his sunrise eyes faded to a dawn-grey mask. For such bigshots, Nagisa thought, they sure were disrespectful.

"May I interest you in some coffee?" he repeated tiredly, glancing through a crack in the meeting room's door at Gou, who was frantically assembling the last of the folders.

"Yes please," answered a voice, low and polite, and not unlike honeydew on Nagisa's ears, as they'd been clogged by the sludge of rude behavior. It brought back the tickle of rain on his forehead, coffee grounds mixing with a storm, and music obscured by the sound of machinery tucked by a blue and orange street corner. He glanced down. The man glanced up. Their eyes met halfway.

"Oh! Um," he began, after a bit too much time had passed between them, "we have a light cinnamon roast, a dark roast from Spain, and Americano brewed right now." The brunette's cheeks had gone slightly pink - no doubt he recalled the evening of the crossword as well.

"The cinnamon roast sounds nice," he softly said to Nagisa. The blonde quickly obliged, his cloudy skin now lined with a rosy glow like sun over the rolling fog. In the corner of his eye, he caught Gou waving energetically to him. He placed the coffee down by the brunet, hurried his way around the others, and collected the folders from his friend, taking care to set one aside so that he could scrawl his cell number on the first page. When he passed them out, he made sure that he caught the eye of the brunet and pantomimed opening the folder before slipping out with a satisfied smile.

Gou was leaning back in her desk chair when Nagisa rejoined her.

"You're looking considerably cheerful for someone that had to go around serving coffee to a bunch of assholes," she commented in an offhand manner. The blond waved off his previous irritation with his boss and slid into his chair.

"So get this," he addressed her eagerly, "that guy I met the other day? The one I was bummed about not finding? So he was in there and I wrote down my number for him." The redhead raised her eyebrows and her lips bent upwards in a smile.

"No way!" she exclaimed, leaning into her friend. "So, what does he look like? Like, sexy hot as a pepper, cute as a button, or like, storybook handsome?" Nagisa frowned - all of those sounded ideal in their own way, but if he were being honest with himself, the man was none of them. He was certainly adorable in an off-beat, nerdy way, and he had the sex-appeal of a serious man, both of which combined gave him an odd form of handsome.

"Some mix of the three. He's really tall, too, with like, that kind of black hair that's almost blue and like... blue-ish eyes, I guess?" Gou gave an excited jump.

"That's like, perfect!" Nagisa grinned like he was sharing a secret and opened his laptop to begin revising the draft he'd finished yesterday.

"He's totally gonna text me," the blonde enthused. He was absolutely of certain of that. It was funny, however, that the things of which he was most certain almost never came to pass.


	4. French Roast

**A/N:** Good Lord, this took forever. I had to work and rework the introduction of a new character into this chapter and it just seemed so awkward. It's not even an important character thus far. Whatever, though, I figured it out. At least this one's pretty longish. I think. And as promised, this one gets posted today, along with the pathetically short chapter 3. Here's to hoping you enjoy. Cheers!

**Chapter Four:** French Roast

Nagisa slipped back to his home base after a bathroom run, his earlier feeling of overwhelming self-satisfaction continuing to accompany him. He wasn't nearly as far along in his draft as he ought to have been, courtesy of stopping every minute or so to enthuse to Gou how pleased he was with finding his stranger. He suspected the redhead was even farther behind than he was at this rate. When he sat down, however, it was her turn to interrupt him with news.

"So you'll never believe who just texted me," she enthused, causing Nagisa to swing his chair around to face her. She had alighted and her eyes were shining with excitement.

"Who?" Nagisa prompted, leaning in closer.

"Eva! She's back from France!" Nagisa gasped which spun quickly into an excited squeal. When he and Gou had first been taken on as employees, Eva had been going steady with the magazine for a solid two years and they'd quickly discovered that she was on the fast track for an important promotion within the business, following the imminent retirement of the man who'd first recommended her for the job. The three had fast become friends, despite Eva's elevated status, and Nagisa figured they'd never be separated.

Of course, he'd been wrong. Eva's mentor figured he had a few good years left in him and again advised the magazine to give her an opportunity that would involve her with other magazines on an international scale. She had been flabbergasted when she discovered that this opportunity was for a paid two-year internship with the French branch of Vogue. The magazine covered basic living expenses and she'd receive valuable credentials and education. And so, Eva accepted.

As the two years progressed, Gou, Nagisa, and Eva had stayed in touch and the blonde figured she'd be returning soon, but there had been no announcement of this from anyone. He was appropriately shocked at her return as, it seemed, was Gou.

"She's been back for like, a day, apparently," the redhead began, "but she was getting over jetlag. Hope you're not busy tonight 'cause I accepted her invitation to go out to drinks on your behalf." Her eyes twinkled and Nagisa's expression was painted with amusement.

"You know me too well."

Their colleague had invited them to a rather upscale, posh club known for their outrageously fruity drinks and often high prices. Nagisa fancied that a place like this was where heiresses went when they wanted to drink away their sorrows. He couldn't imagine spending nearly that much of his rent money to get drunk, but indulgence with old friends was a different matter.

The interior was bathed in low, buttery light, accented in darker shades of violet and rose, and provided many a dark corners for too-tipsy dancers to begin their nightly business. It was Friday night, after all - the majority of the club's occupants were preparing to make use of those. The couches were sleek and sharp-edged, colored in chrome so not to distract from the lights. There were tables here and there, but Gou and Nagisa found Eva right where they expected her to be: seated at the bar, engaged in conversation with an openly harassed bartender.

Eva, better known in the fashion world as the up-and-coming fashion photographer extraordinaire Evangeline Bassignano, could just as easily have landed a job posing in front of the camera rather than snapping the shots behind it. She stood at 174 centimeters tall with toffee black skin and deeply textured hair pulled back in a bun which only served to bring attention to her high cheekbones and eyes that were almond in both shape and color. When she caught them standing there, she grinned, released her captive, and energetically beckoned them her way.

"Oh my God," Nagisa exclaimed, wrapping Evangeline in a tight embrace, the top of his head bumping her chin slightly. Gou clambered in next to them. "It's been forever!"

"Certainly has," Eva replied succinctly, stepping back from her comrades and tugging them immediately over to the bar.

"You clearly haven't forgotten Nagisa's taste though," Gou commented, reading over a list of the drinks. They shared a laugh and placed their orders. Nagisa was rethinking what he'd mused on earlier - maybe this was a good place to get drunk. After all, they were certainly right about the drinks.

"What's happened since I left?" the photographer inquired, opting, as she often did, to skip the small-talk and dive straight into the information. To this Gou informed her of Nagisa's recent promotion (which prompted Evangeline to order him another drink), complained about supervisors, and gave a little rant on stupid assignments.

"I mean, really, they wanted me to go back and re-tag all of the month's posts 'cause of a stupid mistake the tech department made?" she finished, shaking her head. "What bullshit." Eva nodded once in sympathy, concluding the topic and methodically moved on to the next.

"Love lives," she announced, flicking a manicured nail at Gou to indicate that she must suffer first. The redhead rolled her eyes.

"Nonexistent. I've been on a couple dates with some decent-looking guys, but they turned out to be assholes." Her face curdled into a grimace as she recalled, "I even dated one of those loan-shark guys for a month or so. It was doomed to failure when he threatened to call in my unpaid debts." Nagisa and Eva shook their heads in unison at the disloyalty he no doubt had shown her.

"What about you?" Eva proceeded, her gaze flickering to the blonde. "How are things going with Jamie?" With this, Nagisa visibly flinched and Gou uncomfortably drowned her gaze in her drink. Eva pried, "What happened? You were fine," and Nagisa sighed.

From thence forth the bar lost its exquisite lustre and the blond was practically drowning himself in his sorrows. "I was royally dumped," he stated flatly, tipping back a fruity drink. "He accused me of cheating, just like the last bloody fuck I dated." Eva leaned into him, aware of this familiar pattern; including Jamie, the last three men he'd been with had accused him of such, and a wave of aches swept over the shores of her heart hearing the same tale of woe. Nagisa oft spent nights away from home and hardly presented viable excuses as to why he remained absent from his lover's side. Usually, in the early stages, they'd be quite smitten with the blond: his unusual patterns were discovered after they'd move in. Not even his friends could fathom why it always ended thus for he certainly had never told them.

By the time Nagisa had left the bar, he was heartily warmed by alcohol and the few hours he'd spent in good company, and the streetlights were beginning to flicker on. The sidewalk was slick with an earlier drizzle, but it was of little consequence now: the evening had turned lovely, despite the bite of a chill. He pulled the lapels of his coat close to his shivering body and as he did so his phone vibrated, tickling his heart all pretty. He scurried to reach it and thanked his lucky stars that he wasn't one hundred percent intoxicated: he was certain he could conduct the conversation respectably despite his state.

"Nagisa Hazuki speaking," he chirped daintily, springing evenly along the boulevard.

"Oh, hello!" A gentle yet surprisingly masculine voice answered him. He was faintly surprised: he recalled the voice of the man being distinct, sharp, and efficient, not at all like this somewhat dreamy voice that spoke. He wondered if perhaps the static could truly distort it so much? "I'm sorry for the time, but I'm working for my report on SeaWorld's whales and I would like your opinion on the environmental impact that their absence holds."

Several seconds of silence ensued, broken only be a huff of disappointment on Nagisa's end.

"Sorry, I think you have the wrong number," he replied, effectively cutting off the conversation. He dried the screen of his phone before slipping it back in his pocket.

Three days later, he still was in a mood as foul as the autumn weather. The little blond had been short-tempered with both Gou and Eva, who had been struggling to get back into the groove of the magazine's way. They'd openly told him that he was acting like a little bitch lately, but he couldn't help being irked by the smallest mistakes, though he was blind to his own. He'd had to rewrite his column three times already, after having been rejected by Ms. Amakata for his "forceful, un-fun tone".

Nagisa flung himself down beside Gou and Eva in the cafeteria, crumpling down to the surface of the table rather than even trying to sit up. Around him, senseless, aimless chatter of business, clothes, she said what, and such echoed through the high, windowed ceiling. The top of the cafeteria was more than two floors high and didn't have much artificial lighting, as most was supplied by the skylight. His friends shared a quick glance and leaned down a little to look at him where he lay.

"Sweetie," Gou began concernedly, "I think it's time for an intervention. You've been moping around for days about some guy you met that hasn't given you a call - I mean, that's happened to you loads of times!" Eva nodded in agreement and continued,

"Not like you to take rejection this hard. Usually they're just for one-night stands." Nagisa huffed indignantly and slapped his hand on the table, not unlike a child would.

"Is that really what you two think I do all the time?" he protested noisily, feeling as though a marble had been caught and tangled in between his vocal chords.

"Well, you are kind of a slut," Gou admitted brazenly, flipping her ponytail over her shoulder. Eva rolled her eyes and gave her a kick, clipping Nagisa on the calf as well, muttering about how she felt like a mother in the midst of a children's squall. The blonde shimmied upwards and pathetically cast his gaze away, head in his hands.

"It's not only the guy," he lamented, "it's the new job and there's this hospital bill I haven't paid yet and Jamie's still been calling to get some of his stuff and hasn't been at all kind about it and I've been hungover twice in a row and - ugh! It's just not my week!"

"It's Tuesday," Eva commented offhandedly, to which Nagisa rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to make a scathing reply, but was stopped by her well-manicured hand lifting in an expression of silence. "Don't make that a self-fulfilling prophecy. Go take a walk, get out of the building a bit." In a flash, she whipped out a couple of notes and handed them over. "And get us some coffee while you're at it."

And so he found himself marching roughly down the streets in search of the shop where he'd first met the damned man in the first place. Gou had tossed some pounds at him and requested he grab her some of the coffee he'd bought a few days back, which of course had led him to where he began. Honestly, the things he suffered for his friends. He knew in his heart, however, that his behavior warranted both a break - as Eva had suggested - and a coffee run for his friends. Although they'd given him what he needed to pay for it, he planned to simply purchase it himself as an apology for the shameful, petulant way he'd acted these past few days.

He slipped like a drowsy raindrop on glass into the flow of the line once he arrived and sighed at the poor weather. Pit-patters came along as the first of the darker clouds came strolling along and he realized that they were in for quite a storm tonight. He double-checked the time - he had about an hour and a half before he needed to be back at work. He'd been planning on an extended lunch to collect photographs to accompany his article today - a bit of field work, as it were.

He ordered himself an interesting mocha that was flavored with blackberry and the usual for his friends - both of which contained too many shots for his own taste - and settled himself at the counter beside a window. He was quick in yanking out his crossword puzzle, though it was from a few days back. What between his ex calling, the hospital bills he'd left unpaid for too long, his couple of hangovers, and the drafts he'd worked on from home over the weekend, it was understandable that he hadn't finished it yet. He sipped at his coffee, hunched over the paper comfortably, and commenced his period of relaxation.

Here and there a gentle jingle of the storefront's bell would disturb him, but he otherwise made excellent time on his puzzle, each successful word erasing a little bit of the tension carried in his mind. He hardly noticed that someone had claimed the seat beside him until he saw the hem of his pants. It was sharp, precise, and by all means perfect, though they were a bewilderingly dull color. He peeked over the edge of his paper to examine the rest of the outfit and pass a judgement - it was his job to do this, of course - and was shocked when he realized that the stranger from the meeting sat there beside him, thoroughly immersed in his own work.

"Hey!" he greeted with a chipper tone, his smile delighted and warm. A few patrons gave him annoyed glimpses and he remembered to lower his voice. "Fancy meeting you here," he proceeded. At first glance the man was affronted by this sudden, welcoming reception, though a slight brush of pink on his cheeks brought to attention by those funny red glasses, betrayed the impression of irritability. "I didn't think I'd see you again," Nagisa commented, prompting the other to continue.

"Why ever not?" he questioned, leaning away from the documents in front of him and turning to face the little blond.

"Well," he responded, his voice picking up a little edge of regret, "you never called or texted me, y'know, when I wrote my number down in that folder the other day." He kept his sympathetic smile up though the disappointment was apparent in his demeanor, he supposed. He'd always been easy to read. He was bewildered when the well-behaved gentleman at his side smacked his forehead and muttered under his breath what Nagisa supposed was a curse.

"I forgot to write it down," he explained, though it sounded more as though he'd just realized it himself.

"You were supposed to keep the folder," the blonde explained cheekily, the hum of a laugh rising in his throat. The gentleman smiled slightly and replied,

"I was there as a favor to my coworker - he was ill that day but didn't want to miss it. I gave the briefing to him."

"That would explain the call," the smaller man snickered, remembering the strange man that had phoned him after his escapade with Gou and Eva. "He wanted my opinion on the environmental impact whales had or something." The brunet's face reddened further and he profusely apologized.

"Good Lord, I'm sorry about that, I don't know what he was thinking." He passed a sleek, black iPhone to Nagisa and requested politely, "Might I have it now?" The blond obliged happily. As he was typing, the man straightened himself and glanced at the newspaper he'd been working on. "You're still on Saturday's puzzle?" he inquired, his violet eyes analyzing everything he'd already written. He nodded and gave an exasperated sigh.

"It was a busy weekend," Nagisa offered up as an explanation. The gentlemen reached in the pocket of his coat, draped upon the back of his stool, and glanced over the answers he'd previously written down.

"I've got different answers," he remarked with confusion lacing his voice. "See, for twelve across, I've got 'chiffon', and then all the answers around it are totally messed up." He scanned over both papers with an earnest intensity and Nagisa found himself chuckling - and this time, the stranger most certainly was affronted. "What's so funny?" he pried, eyes flickering back and forth.

"The clue asks for a silky fabric found in South Asia - seven letters across. It's not chiffon, that's French. You usually find silks in Asia, so the answer's dupioni, not chiffon." In reference to the evening they spent with one another the past week, he pointed to himself and reminded, "I write for a fashion magazine as a columnist." An appropriate pinch of pride peppered his voice and he gave his most dashing smile to the man beside him.

"Oh, I thought you were a receptionist or something of the sort. Why were you the one to hand out the briefings and coffee?" he interrogated, brows quirked at a funny angle. Nagisa gave a sigh as thick as the storm clouds and confessed,

"Okay, I just the promotion a week ago. But I was just doing my boss a favor since she hadn't gotten a new assistant yet." The other man nodded and offered his congratulations, giving the blond's ego a nice stroke. He shifted his focus back to his newspaper and frowned at it, as though it had committed a personal offense against him.

"You're certain the answer's not chiffon? I mean, as I recall, it's a very lightweight fabric - wouldn't they use those in South Asian clothing?" He sounded quite determined to convince Nagisa of this, but he just chuckled prettily.

"I'm positive. It's not exclusively made with silk, anyways, you can have cotton chiffon, nylon chiffon, or rayon chiffon, too," he explained. He'd always enjoyed the soft, sheer fabric. It was elegant despite a lack of shine and took to dye easily most of the time, so it wasn't difficult to find in rich colors either. On the other hand, he'd often preferred the heavier dupioni fabric with its multiple colors and metallic shimmer. Offhandedly, he commented, "You don't like to be wrong, do you?" The brunet broke into a flustered grin and he made reply,

"Not particularly." He rewrote the word in and scrunched up his eyebrows while Nagisa informed him,

"I was having trouble with three down - see, it intersects with dupioni at the 'n' and before I wrote in dupioni, I had barrister, but now it doesn't fit and I can't think of another word." Nagisa tapped the spaces with his pen and read over the clue - an advocate that can act in place of a client. It had him thoroughly stumped and he'd skipped over it every time he finished writing in a word. When he glanced back toward the man, he found him grinning smugly and consequently, it was his turn to feel rather vexed. "What?" he inquired, tapping his pen on the edge of the paper, now quite flustered.

"Barristers can't act in place of a client," he informed the blond, pushing his glasses up his nose, "however, attorneys can." Nagisa cocked an eyebrow and awaited for his companion to take his turn. "I'm an attorney myself," he acknowledged, following their little trade-off.

"Okay," he defended himself, "that was not fair, the clue is singular and the word is plural." He hastily scrawled in the answer, folded the paper up and shoved it away, at last having finished it. He caught a quick glimpse of his phone and saw that he had an hour to go. Ever observant, the man caught his look and, in a tone that was rather let down, he inquired,

"Must you be on your way now?" Nagisa's cheeks were dusted in pink at the disappointment the man expressed as for so long now, he'd thought himself rejected. Inevitably, the corners of his mouth rose into a smile and he shook his golden locks to and fro.

"No, I actually have like, another hour. I wonder, though… have you started today's crossword?" He fluttered his eyelashes, the fawn strands gliding across what few sun freckles remained from the pleasant summer they'd had before and his plum liner shimmered with his eyes, all of which served to bring attention to those beautifully blossoming cheeks. The man awkwardly scrambled through his papers, messing up what once had been a perfectly prime organizational scheme and practically ripped the day's paper out from under them, all while maintaining that of coursehe had barely started and he needed help with so many of the words. Nagisa laughed and leaned in over the paper, gracing an arm over the other man's shoulder. "I'd be happy to lend you my expertise," he replied flirtatiously, twirling a pen in his left hand with practiced dexterity. They examined the first clue together and its corresponding place on the puzzle. The editors had really wanted to challenge them - it was a twelve letter word with a prompt of "buzz, boom, bang"! His companion examined it thoroughly.

"Have you any clue what it could be?" he said, appealing to Nagisa for help. The blond gave a frustrated sigh, but snapped his finger a moment later when the answer came to him.

"Wait, try onomatopoeia!" The brunette wrote it in and mumbled,

"Why didn't I think of that? I always got top grades on grammar quizzes in secondary school." Nagisa snickered at his offended tone and replied,

"So did I - but I bet you never got good grades in literature courses." He flinched slightly and seemed rather cross as Nagisa had been right on point, but the smaller man warmly added, "You seem more like the science, maths, and I dunno, about everything else kind of guy."

"That is true," he admitted to the little blond, but pursued the topic by adding, "You seem the type to enjoy bending things to suit you. Not that that's bad," he quickly corrected upon seeing the dumbstruck face of his partner and continued, "in fact, I find it a rather remarkable skill." It was true - Nagisa had always had trouble handling hard facts and took well to interpretation, however, always finding the loopholes in whatever he didn't like. He'd never been content with anything else. "It would explain why you'd have chosen such a free-willed path as a writer for the fashion industry. In opposition to this," he rambled, "I've never been so inclined to operate as such. It's why I chose the path of an attorney." Nagisa nodded thoughtfully and found himself asking,

"But don't you have to interpret and like, I dunno, change the law so that your client can get off?" The stereotype of lawyers was that in fact they were sleazy to easily ensnare their opponents and win their money.

"Perhaps," he replied with a hint of a sneer, "for defense attorneys. I'm a prosecutor, I generally take on criminal cases." The little blond's prettily plucked eyebrows shot up as he enthused,

"Oh, wow! That's incredible!" His partner shrugged and opened his mouth to reply, but mid-word, in fact, he was stopped by a stupefied Nagisa. "Aren't you ever worried that you'll put away someone innocent?" The brunet's jaw was slack open still as he regarded him curiously. He seemed to be hesitating to answer and carefully chose his next words:

"The thought has in fact occurred to me before, though I haven't much… dwelt on that. I just do my job." Nagisa nodded, grateful for the honest reply, but prodded,

"But the real question is will you think about it, don't you think?" The man uncomfortably nodded and mumbled an agreement. He shifted his weight away from Nagisa and for a few moments they sat in their own silence, unperturbed by the indie music, the gentle chatter of rain on the windowsills, and the hum of indistinguishable voices. Nagisa finished up his coffee and checked the time. "Listen," he began, "I've gotta go - I'm actually supposed to be doing some photography right now, but text me, okay? And think about it, too!" He chirped his end and fluttered up in a flurry of gathering and the man, polite as ever, slid his coat upon the blond's shoulders with a gentle, "allow me". Nagisa beamed at him and asked as he was leaving, "What's your name?" The man, still awestruck from the first flurry of lashes replied,

"Ryugazaki Rei. Or - erm, sorry, Rei Ryugazaki. Right. West. Um, what's yours?" The blond giggled at the error and teasingly tapped his phone screen, having entered it quite a while before, before turning with a flourish of his sunny tresses and long, bleu-de-France coat. His coffee roast lashes gave a final flicker in the direction of Rei Ryugazaki. Nagisa hadn't missed the cherry pink blush upon his cheek's this time.


	5. Mourdevre

**A/N: **Sorry you have to tolerate my description indulgence at the end there. Also, since there aren't enough characters in Free! to drop in some friendly faces (and if you're wondering about the others, like Mako and Haru, I've already got plans for them), I added some KNB charries that would have been there anyways. It's likely not to impact the story at all, anyhow. Just a treat, I suppose, for those who know KNB. Enjoy!

**Chapter Five:** Mourdevre

Two coffee cups tapped the desks like a robin gracing its perch upon the first bloom of spring. Soft colors swirled behind the blond's creme cheeks, obscured only by the dot of some freckles. His warm lashes, dashed by the beginnings of mist, shivered above them, so soft and careful. His plump lips were left open in wanting for a feather-light embrace that promised of new beginnings, of happy endings, and a lifetime more of quivering kisses. Nagisa was caught in a fantasy, so much that he barely saw the bewildered glance shared by Gou and Eva and the perplexed stare of Ms. Amakata, but so long as he could feel the echo of Rei's lingering hand upon the curve of his shoulder, he felt he could disregard his friends entirely. Sweet words that had never been uttered teased Nagisa's ears as he flitted into his chair, fingers teasing the top of his laptop as all reason flew away until -

Ms. Amakata?

The blond snapped up rigidly and like a slap in the face, he absorbed the mystified gazes of his coworkers, save Gou, who at this point in time was accustomed to it. His boss was leaning beside Eva, perhaps having been checking some of her work, mouth half-open as though she'd been speaking when he floated in. Eva's gaze held a certain amount of concern for his mental health in it, most likely due to the fact that he hadn't even acknowledged the editor. The redhead, however, had swung herself in front of her computer, sipping at the coffee Nagisa delivered.

"This coffee is cold," she criticized absently, setting it off to the side while she typed a few words of her assignment. Ms. Amakata blinked the daze away and shifted closer to Nagisa.

"Should I be worried about you?" she inquired somewhat ironically. Eva leaned back in her chair and swiveled around, one brow arched impeccably above the other.

"No. This is about a man, isn't it?" When Nagisa confirmed her analysis with a nod, their boss laughed, patted him on the head affectionately and informed him,

"I wish you the best of luck then. Dress him well." She wrapped up a comment to Eva and then made her leave to her ice office, faintly smiling for her love-struck subordinate. Naturally, Nagisa faced no such mercy from his friends, for as soon as their boss was out of earshot, they had him pinned to the ground with a harsh interrogation, pairing up good-cop, bad-cop style to squeeze the information out.

"It was the same guy wasn't it?" Gou asked blithely, color raising enthusiastically to her cheeks. "If it was the guy from before, then you were totally wearing his favorite color. Did you see how black his hair was? It was like, practically blue. God, that coat would be perfect for his favorite color. Plus, like, that makes the primary colors for you."

"You think this was a good coat?" Nagisa demanded apprehensively. "I like, wasn't sure if he would've liked it." Gou nodded as the other woman picked up the trail of investigation.

"What did you find out? Job? Name? Store of preference?" Eva demanded, almond eyes boring into her victim.

"Rei Ryugazaki, attorney at law. He does, like, prosecution for criminal cases. He probably gets his clothing tailored and it's like, all grey." If he got to know the man any better, he was well aware he'd need to take Ms. Amakata's advice to heart, certainly. The color didn't suit him at all. "But like," he proceeded, "I asked him if he ever wondered about the people he put away, right, like what if they were innocent? And he was all, 'I dunno, never thought about it', so I was all, 'then think about it' without thinking, and I think I might've made him feel awkward! Like, what if I ruined my chances?" The majority of the story was directed at the black woman, who analyzed each and every word with extreme caution. Gou excitedly glanced between them, offense at the coffee completely forgotten.

"I think," she began carefully, her lips slightly pursed, "that you asked the right question. A good man will keep it on his mind and, by default, you as well." Gou clapped her hands delightedly as the tension leaked out of Nagisa's body.

"Rei," Gou commented lightly. "What a great name. So like, what else did you say?" Nagisa informed them of the crosswords, to which they rolled their eyes, the conversation of dupioni, at which they giggled, and the story of his exit. Gou gave her approval at the latter, citing his excellence in charisma. "Flawless," she remarked admiringly. "You're such a tease." He snickered and replied,

"Yes, we sluts are well versed in flirtatious behavior." The redhead colored and apologized sheepishly for her earlier words, but the blond waved it off with a grin, and instead said, "Everyone's a slut sometimes. Well. At least among us, anyways." Gou laughed and offered up the remainder of her commentary on his behavior.

"But seriously, what a good move. This way, you'll totally be on his mind, you sexy little beast." Nagisa soaked up the praise, but over Eva's shoulder caught the amused expression of his boss, who apparently had been watching them for a bit. She tapped her computer screen and the blond waved abashedly in acknowledgement. The friends giggled happily together and then, now peaceful, returned to their work. Goodwill for their friend stirred in the hearts of the ladies and the young man focused his tender feelings into his writing.

Within the following hours, he offered perhaps some of his best work. His assignment was to write a column on autumn's latest fashion trends, and ever practical and fashionable, he chose to write on scarves. It was a rather safe topic as well, though who could blame him? It was his first column, after all. In his article, he noted the early emergence of jewel tones, which typically were used in the depths of dark winter to bring life back to the world. As no normal person could afford to buy themselves an entirely new wardrobe for fall, he advised that a well-placed emerald or a turquoise pop could draw a beautiful amount of attention to an otherwise dull outfit and make it stand out as trendy and fun. He sourced reasonably priced stores known for their accessories that he'd earlier photographed, though they hadn't yet been fitted in his spread properly since, as a favor to him, Eva had offered fix them in photoshop. She hadn't finished, but she was to correct colors and erase backgrounds in exchange for warmed coffees and money he'd taken.

When the photos were finished and he had received via email from Eva, Nagisa printed off his final draft. Ms. Amakata checked it as the day dimmed and deemed it worthy to be sent to the formatting department for publication. At this time, Gou bade him and Eva goodbye and left the building for home. He waved at Eva, who was wrapping up her work and preparing to leave herself. Noting the late hour, Nagisa prayed he hadn't missed his chance to give the article and pictures to the formatting department. He hurried off to the lab in which they did their work, but most of the massive computer screens were already off, save for one or two. He skimmed the few faces before settling on one he knew would help him at this late hour. There was a man he was well acquainted with in this department, who was working with a similar program that Eva had been on when she went to France. This one, however, was from the Japanese branch of Elite. He started off on a rather lonesome foot with this magazine, for on top of being a reserved man in general, he spoke little to no English upon arrival in the country and suffered from an incurable shyness because of it. Ms. Amakata noted his suffering, as it impacted his work with the magazine, and immediately introduced him to the most friendly and forward person she knew of working under her - Nagisa.

Now, Nagisa Hazuki's father had been born in Japan, and as such, rather than French or Spanish, he'd determined that his son should learn Japanese to remain in touch with his heritage. As he was raised with it, the little blond spoke the language as fluently as though he himself was native and was the first choice when it came to easing the newly hired employee into the culture of the magazine.

"Kon'nichiwa, Mitobe-san!" he greeted warmly, trotting up from the doorway. The blond's speech was polite and addressed the man by surname, though he was aware that his given name was Rinnosuke. The brunet smiled nervously at him and waved.

"Kon'nichiwa, Hazuki-san," he replied. "Is there anything I can help you with?" he proceeded, still speaking in Japanese. The couple of others in the room glanced their direction curiously before resuming their last minute work. Nagisa fished for his USB and handed it to Mitobe.

"Could you format these for the October issue please?" he requested, his little smile like honey. At that moment, however, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, sending a wave of spark throughout his entire body. He wondered automatically if it was Rei Ryugazaki, but he painstakingly forced his attention back to Mitobe.

"Hai. I'll give the USB back by tomorrow." Nagisa's phone vibrated once more against his inner thigh, causing him to fidget. Mitobe awkwardly glanced back to his computer screen, but Nagisa cut in, determined to give the lonesome man at least a little portion of his undivided attention.

"How have you been doing with the other workers?" he inquired politely, though the edge of his tone still was rapid. The brunet glanced back at him, grinning ever so slightly. The blond's heart warmed a little at the sight, for it was clear he was grateful.

"We are doing well, thank you," he replied, not going into detail most likely for the other's sake. Nagisa glanced apologetically at Mitobe as his phone vibrated a third and fourth time and told him,

"Let's have lunch together - maybe the day after tomorrow? We can talk more then, it's rather late now." The brunet nodded his consent and as Nagisa left, he added over his shoulder, "Arigatougozaimashita, Mitobe-san! Goodbye!" He caught the other waving at him as he tore himself out of the office and back to his desk to collect what remained of his things. On his way, he illuminated his phone screen to check his texts. Both were from Rei Ryugazaki.

******From: Rei Ryugazaki  
Nagisa is a beautiful name.**

******From: Rei Ryugazaki  
I apologize for the lateness of the request, but I have a dinner reservation for two at 8:30 and my colleague cancelled. Would you care to join me?**

The polite, awkward phrasing caused a laugh to tickle its way out of the blond and he replied, 'Sure thing! where?'. His cheeks reddened pleasantly with the thought that he must really have made an impression on the straight-laced attorney to be invited out so soon, however he nearly choked on the air in his windpipe when the text he received in return was 'Amber Alley'. Now, that was a world-famous restaurant in an unquestionably high-class area for incredibly successful businessmen, editors, stage and movie actors, and about everything Nagisa would never amount to. Often when he was young and enjoyed flipping through celebrity gossip magazines, the backdrop would be that of Amber Alley, and when he came of age and transitioned to more fashionable reading, he began to recognize the very same background among the best dressed photos. He could've sworn that the rich and famous just crawled out from a hole in that restaurant. The wealthy and celebrated aside, however, it was renowned for its incredible food, with items from all around the world blended to create fantastic dishes with unbelievable contrast and originality. Once, when he was young, his father promised to take him, but it was a foolish thing to say: a family like the Hazukis could never afford it.

Of course, he had worked up quite a panic and flipped his head wildly from side to side, searching for an ally of any sort. Luck struck like lightning. He spotted Eva in the process of stepping into an overcrowded elevator and positively screeched,

"Eva! Fashion emergency!" She snapped her neck around so quickly he would be amazed if she didn't get whiplash, hopped away from the elevator like it was hot and was immediately shut out. She glanced back sorely before striding over to Nagisa with swiftness and furious grace.

"You'd better have meant that," she snapped, crossing her arms, her brows taking a deep dive and the corners of her mouth sagging.

"The guy, Rei," the blond frantically explained to his fuming friend, "he invited me to eat at Amber Alley, I only have two hours, I can't afford to buy something new, please, please, please help me!" She regarded her friend, her disposition easing from miffed to mindful as she mused over his options. A moment later, she sighed decisively and waggled her finger.

"Come here," she beckoned seriously, swiveling around and stalking off down a hall that Nagisa knew led to the studios in which the photographers worked with their models. And, he realized as Evangeline pulled out a set of keys to unlock a door to the right of the studio, the dressing rooms for the models. The lofty woman flicked a light on in the spacious area and forewarned him, "If you ruin one of these suits or dresses, I'll lose my job, then kill you." He didn't doubt it in the least. Breathless, he pivoted and dumbfoundedly asked in a small voice,

"Should I wear a suit or a dress?" Eva lost her severe scowl and snickered with affection over scorn. She knew as well as he that the blond never had been faced with an opportunity to look as fine as she or Gou, for as the youngest in a large, poor family, he wore mostly hand-me-downs throughout most of his life. While he was proud of how far he'd made it into a business that was known to be ungenerous to newcomers, he seldom imagined yet always desired that he would look like one of models upon the glossy cover. Like most, however, he contented himself as one of the many working behind the scenes. Evangeline and Gou both could have had what he never could attain and they knew it. It had been their choice as opposed to their fate to join him there and they were well aware of the fact. Sympathy daunted them at times like these, where their hearts would don the guilt of certain privilege that he had not yet been able to reach. But at times like these, they shook off their pity and instead thrust their aching hearts into helping him accomplish all he could. And so, Eva smiled kindly at him - a rare sight indeed.

"You like dresses. If he doesn't, then it's too damn bad." Those words were all the permission he needed from the photographer. Headfirst he dove into the racks, ransacking them for the absolute perfect fit. Though he may have been trying a little too hard for what was allegedly a first date, there was never a time when he didn't want to look his best for himself. A shill, zealous shriek came from the hangers as they were pushed from side to side. He mindlessly grabbed pieces he enjoyed and Eva frantically scurried to catch whatever he threw at her. It took him next to no time to separate out things that he'd wear from the ones he'd rather not. The second step, however, was trying them on. With a certain practiced fluidity, he slipped out of his blue coat, fine jeans, and button up, shedding what little jewelry he wore along with it. And so it began - the first dress.

It was an off-white silk chiffon dress with a round, strapless neck. The skirt dropped into a charming, billowy A-line and was tied at the waist with a champagne sash. The hem barely brushed his knee and he gave Eva a twirl around. She nodded in a considerate show of approval, though her brow furrowed.

"I can't wear this," Nagisa declared. "It's too bridal. I look like a 12 year old flower girl." This time, her nod was vigorous. The next dress had a sweetheart neckline covered with a sheer fabric that lent it long sleeves in the form of an illusion. Jewels were sewn and studded all over it and while certainly expensive-looking, it was concluded that the body-hugging form and extreme shortness would make him look like a desperate tramp among the rich. It would draw too many eyes - and not in a positive way. Were he clubbing, perhaps the situation would be different. After that, he tried out a flirtatiously strapless piece in turquoise but Eva shot it down with no hesitation.

"You don't have the boobs for that." A moment later, she amended, "You don't have boobs at all, in fact." They laughed and proceeded. The next dress flared out at the hips, but his were too thin to fit in it, and the following one hung on him like a sack. After that, one was too casual, another like a teenager's first school dance dress, another an entirely heinous color with skin and hair, and another just down right slutty. There were bell-skirts, full skirts, long and short ones, and the necklines ranged from square to sweetheart. None of them fit Nagisa's masculine form and he felt his hope sliding away like a raindrop. And so dripped into a padded chair, two-thirds of the way though the rack, eyes drooping with the weight of water.

"I should've guessed. Nothing fits," he stated dejectedly. Permanently he felt he was caught between a far too feminine form to be masculine yet nothing designed for women fit him either. And while he could design things to be gorgeous, he himself simply wasn't created to be beautiful. Eva sat on the arm beside him.

"There are still some left," she informed him, though he only rolled his eyes. Gou was much better at consoling him than she. "We could just use the first," Eva attempted again. Nagisa shook his head and the first few tears fell over the edge. The woman at his side grated her teeth. "Just try one more," she urged, glancing over the next one. Another floor-length one hung on the rack next - they hadn't even used it in the shoot as the model had been too tall to fit. Dejectedly, he dragged himself to it, but what was the point? In the end, it would just hang off of him - but the one behind it... That one was of an appropriate cocktail length, off-the-shoulder, and bathed in a rosy shade. Eva caught the spark of interest and tapped at the floor-length one. "Nu-uh, we have an order. This one first." Nagisa shook his head.

"God, what are you, my mom?" He swiped at his eyes, drying them with the back of his hand. There wasn't time to be upset, anyhow - he would be late if he didn't hurry! And so, he dropped one more dress, stepped into it, and hauled it up his body. He backed into Eva and she obligingly zipped him before sending him off to the mirror.

He should have felt an inkling of it when the silken fabric embraced the curve of his waist or perhaps when the lace graced over his shoulders, right where Rei Ryugazaki had touched him, that he wouldn't need the next dress on the rack. He was bathed in wine red, a radiance that was not quite shine emulating from every fold in the fabric. The skirt was gathered on one side, not quite at a fixed point, but in a manner that brought attention to what shape his hips did have. It flared out ever so slightly at the ankle, providing him with ample space to walk. It was high waited and the round neckline was hidden underneath lace that widely circled his collarbone and just teased at slipping away from his shoulders, wrapping around his arms as three-quarter sleeves. The back dipped to a V just between his shoulder blades in a delicate suggestion of sensuality. The red of the dress and gold of his hair cultivated an exquisitely luxurious image, not unlike the sharp, soft lines of a regency painting. Nagisa was pretty sure he had to sit down.

Both he and Eva stumbled back into their chair and gave apprehensive giggles.

"God," Eva whispered at him. He bit his lip to keep a smile from spreading too far. "It's the color of a young Syrah. Or a Mourdevre," she remarked, admiration deep in her voice. Nagisa nodded - it wasn't red enough to be like a Pinot Noir, but the two wines she suggested were rich in color and almost plum in tone. She stood and fished around a desk surface for a minute before returning to the blond with a hairbrush and some makeup. As a photographer, she had a particularly steady hand and as such, she was able to fix his makeup with relative ease. His hair she swept off to the side, creating a style reminiscent of the 1920's, finishing with an ornamental hair clip on the offside of his hair. It depicted a roseate butterfly caressing a lotus encrusted in gold. His reflection in the mirror was remarkably androgynous, containing all the dignity and strength of an unbreakable woman in the finesse of the fabric along his hips, yet balanced with the opulent endurance of man in the line of his jaw and the eager shine in his delicate eyes. Both he and Eva knew in that moment that he was ready for everything this opportunity - and all that were to come - had to provide.

Nagisa collected his clothing and folded it neatly his bag, catching a glimpse of his phone as he did so. His breath hitched in his throat and the woman shot him a questioning glance.

"Oh God," he groaned sickly. "It's 8:45!"


	6. Syrah Wine

**A/N:** When I first posted this, I hadn't finished on accident, but it's okay, because I finished now - so please, enjoy! The next chapter wraps things up a bit better than this one, 'cause I had to rush to finish it after submitting it, but I feel I like where this one's at, too. It's also surprisingly long, at 5,772 words.

**Chapter Six:** Syrah Wine

"I feel like Cinderella: Fast & Furious edition," Nagisa griped, his tone entirely astounded as Eva sped through a second red light, already having raced under four yellows and one stop sign at a dramatic speed. The blond wasn't even aware Priuses could accelerate so quickly - it was a fact he ought to keep in mind when in the neighborhood for his own car. He was splayed straight across the backseat in a desperate attempt not to wrinkle the fine silk the dress was made of. Unconsciously, he protected the clip in hair with his little hands every now and then, especially when they came to any unexpected stops.

"Appreciate the shit I go through," Eva warned simply in reply over the sounds of horns blaring at her from various directions. He could practically see the affronted looks of their high-class occupants as Eva sliced them off between lanes, certainly doing her damnedest to get him to Amber Alley in a fashionably late manner. The entire neighborhood was stiflingly high-class, from the modernist bars to the closed brunch bistros. Above many of the restaurants were swanky apartments and rather than alleys, well-lit gardens, trees, and fountains were tucked in its corners. All around, ladies and gentlemen of the highest fashion permeated from the towers, each one a shade in tight cocktail dresses or fancy cars, each bar emitting a firework of light in its own signature color that sent him reeling. Many had themes that nodded towards post-modernism and art-deco styles of architecture, but when they arrived at Amber Alley, it was clearly distinguishable from the rest. The face of the building was entirely baroque with a grandly golden lighting scheme to highlight the impressive carvings. In immaculate rows on either side of the flagstone walkway were faultless trimmed roses, illuminated by the glow from the curtained windows right above: in front of them, the path split and diffused into the darkness, no doubt leading to outdoor seating areas. A fountain rested languidly in the center of the path, creating a pleasant roundabout out in the front of the restaurant. In the cold blue chill of the night, it was a rippling oasis of citrine warmth, music in the silence of the stars, glittering with so much more promise than the infinite sky.

Eva eased her vehicle into a leisurely speed as she pulled up in front of the fountain. The blond had leaned up and timidly scooted to the edge of his seat beside the window, peering out into the bright, unknown mirage. He daubed chapstick over his naked lips and readjusted his hairpiece, hesitant to leave the sanctuary of the dark car and his friendship. This was a world unfathomable to him in none but his dreams: to be arriving here was nothing short of a miracle. He gripped his black and gold clutch purse tightly, swallowing deeply as he slipped the chapstick away. Eva regarded him kindly through the rearview mirror.

"Well?" she prompted, tapping her fingernails on the steering wheel. "Go on. Text me when you need to be picked up. You're gorgeous." Nagisa gave her an affirmative nod, more to ease his knotted stomach than anything else, and opened the door to step out. As soon as Eva pulled away, he found himself rooted to the spot, swallowed by the emerging sea of people that had progressed through their entrance much more efficiently than he. Beside the gardens were a handful of people with press badges, though none had names that were familiar to his industry in particular. They were magazines that showcased wealth, business, and fame that didn't originate from gossip. To them, he was of little interest, but several people around him waved artificially to the reporters. Once or twice, he felt a shoulder dig into his own and he further withdrew, lowering his head and crossing one arm defensively in front of his body. The other brushed stray hairs behind his ear and, heart fluttering like a bird in a cage, he wondered if the date was truly a wise idea - his impulsive agreement certainly hadn't helped his nerves. He ought to have rescheduled. He ought to have done something to stop it, but 'should have's were of little consequence now: for here he was, leaving a perfectly respectable man waiting inside for nearly 20 minutes now.

And so, flittering heart approaching his throat, he rolled his shoulders away to expose his collarbone, dropped his arms by his side, and dug his nails deeply into the silk of his borrowed clutch in determination. With his chin tilted elegantly upward, he advanced towards the doors with dignity, the crests in the folds of the fabric around his waist illustrating an undeniable allure. He went largely unnoticed by anyone, however, for which he was both thankful and disappointed. On one hand, he'd blended in with these socialites seamlessly, but on the other, he'd blended in with the people here entirely. What made him worthy of their acknowledgement at all? Yet when he at last reached the door, the attendants at either side used their gloved hands to accept him into the golden palace. The interior was as fantastic as the exterior, each shadow that the light cast as still as though it were carved of amber. The ceiling in the foyer was low, but just beyond, Nagisa could see that it stood twice as tall as what here he was under. His ascension into the room caused a few waiting heads to turn and, utterly intoxicated, observe this pauper in a prince's world. He was timeless, like an exquisite wine dusted by the summer sun, bathed in royal violet under the starry sky. Before he had the chance to continue on his way, a host appeared confidently at his elbow.

"Might you be Mr. Nagisa Hazuki?" he inquired formally, speaking to the blond as one would a lord.

"Yes," he nodded, twiddling his purse in his fingers. The man graciously passed it on to another employee who stored it in a far off coat closet somewhere. His arms were left to hang awkwardly at his side, occasionally coming to trail along the folds of the skirt.

"Your table is ready," the man continued politely, "and the other member of your party is here." Tactfully, he took the lead, Nagisa falling lithely in step behind him. They entered the dining area beside a low stage, where an ensemble played a low, Latin hum. In front of them was a ballroom floor, surrounded in a horseshoe of tables gloved in refined white linens. The ceiling was high and despite the crystalline chandelier, the entire area was dimmed intimately, the main light source coming from candles. The blond and his escort wove through the occupied tables until, in the back, they reached a platform, semi-blocked from view due to a half-wall and curtaining organza fabric drifting down. They ascended a small flight of stairs and turned to face the far corner nearest to the hanging cloth. There Rei sat, arms on the table, absently gazing off to the side, his brows furrowed at funny angles, like hands on a clock. As they began to approach the table, the petite man worried that he'd angered his date and abashedly patted down his dress. When the brunet had the sense to look up, however, his face was for a moment stunned before transitioning to thrilled. He rose in an automatic gesture of chivalry but awkwardly hit the table on the way and caused a musical clatter. Consequently, he colored himself as red as wine, fixed his gaze off to the side and bit his lip a little. He peeked at the blond as the host seated him and reclaimed his own post across from Nagisa, who smiled with pretty charm.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," he apologized sweetly, smoothing down the napkin that was laid upon his lap. His companion shook his head in reply.

"Please, don't be," he insisted. "It was such a last minute plan, I'm usually not so... spontaneous." He chuckled nervously, peering at Nagisa through his red glasses. "I just - I wanted to see you again. I mean, of course, that much is obvious. I'm extremely pleased that you could make it on a dime like that. And you're so..." He paused, analytically swept his star-struck midnight eyes over the blond, and deliberately chose his next words. "Gorgeful - I mean beaugeous." He shut his eyes as though it would erase the color on his face. Nagisa chewed on the edge of his lips, all at once flattered and amused. Rei took a deep breath, giving up on the previous compliment and proceeded, "You're lovely."

"Thank you," he responded, voice both tender and meek. He rather fancied how the brunet had said that he was lovely, as opposed to his dress or his looks. He sipped daintily at his water and asked of the other man: "So, why did you want to see me so soon?" Rei composed himself, straightening his core even more so than it had already been and, as though he'd thought over the answer before Nagisa had even spoken, methodically asserted,

"I thought of what you had said to me earlier. I wanted to inform you that I couldn't reach a satisfactory solution." The blond tilted his head in question, leaning comfortably over the table toward his date. Shyly, the brunet confessed, "I wanted to say something that would please you, but I realized if I reached a conclusion based off of that, it would have the opposite effect. Simply because you asked me what I would do proved that you a have a lot more depth than I believe others - including myself - first are able to see." The blond nodded, well aware that he came off as positively shallow, and wondered briefly where the man was going with his blatant honesty. Of course, Nagisa admired that about him, but all the same, it added to his awkwardness - though this, he was beginning to adore slightly. "To put it more simply," he stated, "you intrigue me and I very much like that. I want to know more about you." They both drank some water and when he did not immediately reply, he stammered, "I don't mean to put you off or to sound rude, but I just - I mean, I simply am curious. But more than curious, I mean - it's just, well... You're just - " The blond's giggle cut him off, and he waved an apology with a gentle hand.

"I get it," Nagisa soothed. Below the table, he crossed his legs, fingers teasing the edge of his frosty glass. Rei bowed forward, mirroring the blond's earlier actions and waited for him to proceed, dark blue eyes drawn to wherever there was a mild movement in his composition. A waiter suspended the intimate moment, and asked what drinks they would like to be served. Rei glanced at Nagisa.

"Is there anything in particular you're interested in?" he asked politely.

"I think I'm in the mood for a nice red tonight. What do you have?" The waiter listed off several brands and the blond colored with embarrassment, thinking perhaps that he ought to stick with water, for he knew all of the said brands to be rather expensive. Rei, however, thought otherwise.

"I think I'm rather fond of the idea of that Syrah you mentioned," he informed the waiter. The man nodded and replied,

"We have three selections of Syrah tonight. One is an import from France, aged about ten years, with a fruitier flavor than the others. The second is from Australia, only five years, yet rather heavier than the others. The third is from Switzerland, aged for fifteen years, and has a nice spice to it." Rei briefly considered the options and said,

"I think the third sounds nice." He glanced at his date for approval and Nagisa gave his affirmation. Their waiter vanished off towards the kitchens and neatly the blond picked up the previously abandoned sense of affinity by sending his gaze over to Rei. The man was entirely pink, but he liked that. "So, um - get to know you. Right, uh... How old are you?" he began lamely, running a palm over his pants. It was considerably safe ground, but the blond himself was curious.

"I just turned twenty-five a couple months ago," he informed the brunet. "What about you?" Rei gave a sigh and groaned,

"You make me seem positively ancient." He sipped at his water a couple times before revealing, "I'm thirty, going on thirty-one." Nagisa giggled, but shrugged off its significance.

"The way you're going on about it makes it seem like it's a fifty year difference opposed to five and a half. I mean, thirty's not that big a deal." Rei nodded and proceeded,

"But twenty-five and you're already a professional writer. That's impressive. The magazine you work for is well-known, too. You must be quite dedicated." He blushed and puffed out his chest in pride.

"Thanks! But I really just got it 'cause I was an intern there in uni. They hired me right after I graduated, so I mean, it's not so big a deal. I didn't go to school after that or anything. You, you're like, a pretty successful lawyer right? That's cool too - you probably worked way harder than me to get there."

"It wasn't easy," he acknowledged, "but I couldn't do anything creative like clothes and whatnot." Their wine arrived at that moment and Nagisa took care to inspect it as the waiter served the bottle. He swirled the alcohol around until it painted the edges of his glass, and deeply inhaled the aroma - it smelled faintly of cloves and blackberry, and carried the musky, distinct scent of age. He hummed in pleasure as the powerful liquid stroked his lips.

"This is perfect," he informed the waiter, who proceeded to fill both of their glasses before leaving the bottle at the table.

"Are you a wine enthusiast?" Rei questioned, a smile growing across his face.

"Absolutely," Nagisa confirmed passionately.

"Common ground at last," he replied, raising his glass to the blond, who met him halfway. The crystal gave off a high, resonant sound as they met at the center. The smaller man then uncrossed his legs, allowing one delicate foot to tease the edge of Rei's trousers.

"But opposites do attract," he declared flirtatiously. The brunet choked on the drink and gave a couple coughs, face as red as the wine he was served.

"They do indeed," he stuttered out eventually, his smile shy and embarrassed. Nagisa laughed coyly, raising his glass to his lips and delicately taking a sip of the full-bodied wine. "Do you have any siblings?" Rei asked, fumbling around with his words. The blond's foot was still playing around with his, but he withdrew, not wanting to render his date completely incoherent.

"I do," Nagisa confirmed. "Three older sisters."

"I have an older brother," he added, his voice no longer wavering with every brush of the leg, but eyes heightened with a sense of disappointment, like the last wind of night as the grey dawn approached. "More in common," he murmured, lifting his glass and swirling the wine around inside. He opened his mouth to perhaps ask another question, most likely crossing another one off the mental list of information he wanted, but Nagisa cut in before he had the chance.

"Why'd you go into law?" he inquired curiously. The attorney seemed calculating and shrewd, but his quiet demeanor didn't seem to appeal to the fast lane of trials and courts. Certainly, he'd have done better in a science and medicine track, he thought to himself, so the blond was interested in how he'd been inspired to take a path of justice. Rei regarded his answer thoughtfully and replied,

"I believed in making the world better. There are many people who go through injustices - the murder or assault of a loved one specifically in my track - who cannot speak with their own voice. There are many things they don't understand, particularly when in emotional turmoil, and I wanted to disentangle the facts of such situations in a way to make the world run more smoothly and prevent such occurrences from happening in the future." Rei regarded him softly. "No one's ever really asked me that before," he informed Nagisa. "Why did you go into fashion, then? It's never been an industry I really understood." His brows furrowed in a way familiar to the blond - it seemed he too found the fashion world judgmental.

"Well," he commenced, attentive to both his words and his date's reactions, "it can be a tough place for a lot of people, but I really think how people present themselves is important. If you, for example, came into court wearing like, a tracksuit and trainers, you'd be completely out of place. It wouldn't really matter what you said - it'd come off as unprofessional. I mean, that's obviously a really exaggerated situation, but it presents itself in subtler forms that are hard for people to understand sometimes. I want to make it easier for them." He hesitated a moment, his shoulders tensing up a little, but relaxed them and explained, "That, and I understand what it's like not be comfortable with how to express yourself through your dress and still find yourself flattering. A lot of women and men nowadays are uncomfortable with their looks - whether it's because they're overweight, think they're fat when they're perfectly normal, they're transgendered, they're too tall, too short - it's just something I understand, y'know? And I want to help everyone be as beautiful as they want to be. Because really, everyone is - it took me a long time to realize how I could be happy with myself." The brunet raised his eyebrows and remarked,

"That's a rather incredible thing to say. I admire your conviction. But, you must admit, there are many flaws in that industry - I would daresay that many think it's working against them, not for them." Nagisa nodded, conceding to his point, but continued somewhat provocatively,

"Yeah, but there are flaws in law too - I mean, you could put away someone innocent." Rei flushed, chuckled at the reference to their earlier conversation, and murmured his acknowledgement of the fact. For a while more, they were silent - the older man would gingerly observe the other when he thought he wasn't looking, but Nagisa would claim his eye and refuse to look away. They would both smile flirtatiously, but after a moment proceeded to read over their menus. The blond almost felt like he was in high-school again, all at once sexually frustrated, shy, and innocently flirtatious - he thanked God for his matured sense of how to combine the three subtly like the echo of pepper in his wine. They played their little game with such focus that neither noticed the approach of their server, who had been sent to take their orders. They jumped at her presence and both grinned somewhat humbly.

"Good evening," she began in a mannerly way, "my name is Bianca and I'll be your server tonight. Have we made our decisions yet?" The men rapidly scanned their menus, far too entranced with one another to be romanced with food.

"You know, I think the calamari with those sauces sounds like a really good appetizer. What do you think?" Nagisa beamed at Rei, who murmured a confirmation. The woman nodded. "And to start, let's see... I think I'll have the pear and blue cheese salad first and then... Well, what do you recommend to go with that? I'm kind of torn between the cabbage with miso and the pork stew." The woman briefly considered the options and smoothly replied,

"I think the pork compliments the salad nicely - the meat is very tender and sweet. It's redone from a Filipino dish and one of my personal favorites." He nodded, replied with his consent, and they both glanced to Rei.

"I think I'd like the seafood amuse bouche to begin and the cabbage miso second," he responded concisely as the woman collected their menus and gracefully started towards the kitchens. As she left, Nagisa eagerly leaned towards the brunet.

"You should let me have a bite of that cabbage miso, it sounds delicious. Plus, miso soup is my favorite." Rei smiled indulgently at his date but said,

"Only if I can have some of the pork." He paused considerately and then proceeded, "Your name - Nagisa Hazuki. That's Japanese. Are you from there?" Nagisa, who had taken a sip of his wine, flipped his hand around as a temporary answer.

"I'm only a quarter - my dad was born there, but his mum and my mum are both English," he disclosed. "He wanted me to learn Japanese in school and I lived there with him for a while, though, so I'm actually fluent. But I was born in Yorkshire." Rei gave an inclination of his head, and much to Nagisa's surprise, continued in Japanese,

"I was born in Japan, but we moved here when I was about seven. I've got dual citizenship, along with my parents and brother - though only my brother lives in Japan still." The blond's face grew delighted with this new development and he said,

"Really? That's so funny, how this turns out. But I wonder... Your brother - he isn't Ryugazaki Daiki, that basketball star, is he?" Rei laughed and, somewhat exasperated, gave his assent.

"He is. He's about as insufferable as he looks, as well," he informed Nagisa, having switched back to English. The blond chuckled and joked,

"Tell me about it - I have to deal with three older siblings, but at least none of them are famous. Must be awful." The brunet chuckled, hair trembling with blues and violets in the low, diverse light, and the candle reflecting pleasantly in his eyes.

"He tried so hard to get me into basketball when we little. I ran track, though - he kept telling me it was for sissies and that I'd never get a girlfriend - turned out I never wanted one." He rolled his eyes at the faraway memories and Nagisa giggled as well.

"My sisters used to dress me up and put makeup on me - Mum was always furious with them! See, for me, when I grew up, they realized that I had better style than they ever did," he bragged triumphantly. Both laughed so richly that they had to swipe tears from their mirthful eyes. When they calmed themselves, Nagisa questioned, "So, where did you live when you moved here?"

"Essex," Rei replied, finishing off his wine. Elegantly, he took the bottle and refilled Nagisa's glass before topping off his own. "I guessed you were from up north," he commented inconsequentially as his date thanked him and drank. "You have a lovely way of speaking. I like listening to you." The blond thanked him just as their calamari dish arrived. It was artfully arranged on a rectangular platter, a smaller one with three varying sauces accompanying it. He gave his hands a delighted little clap and scooted forward to examine it.

"Ah, it smells so good!" he enthused. "I'm really hungry, too - I haven't really eaten since my coffee this afternoon. Let's see... I'll try the yellowish sauce and how about you go for the green one in the middle? Then we can both try the red one." He plucked a little calamari up and dipped it in the gold relish, tenderly bringing it up to his mouth for a bite. He sighed pleasantly. It held a tropical mango flavor that was entirely incredible with the warm, fresh seafood, seasoned with the sharp bite of an unidentifiable spice. Rei looked vaguely surprised by his and he asked of the brunet: "What's that? Is it good? Mine was mango - super tasty." Rei swallowed and replied,

"Lime. It's very good - you should try it."

"I will, but red one first, okay?" He snatched up another calamari and coated it in the red paste, and proceeded to munch at it. Unfortunately, he had to suppress a shudder at the taste - a hot taste was the first to register, followed by a sharp, leafy echo. He looked down at it - and as he suspected, it was made with peppers and onions.

"Oh, this is wonderful," Rei commented offhandedly before noticing the sour look upon his date's sweet face. "Is there something wrong?" he asked, voice rather taken aback.

"It has peppers ___and_ onions - two of my least favorites ___ever_," he explained, rinsing his mouth out with a gulp of water and another bite of the mango sauce to erase the aftertaste. "Okay, I need to try the green one now. No onions in that one, right?"

"No onions," Rei confirmed with amusement as Nagisa swept up another, this time with the lime sauce.

They finished their appetizer in good time, Rei having to eat all of the peppery one on his own, while the blond took the edge off of his hunger. They maintained pleasant conversation throughout, discovering more of the basics: the brunet was a fan of sushi and seafood, he worked in a large building about a ten minute's walk from the coffee shop they often visited, and he owned an apartment in the city. His neighbors had a toddler and a new baby that were rather cute, he supposed, but could be incredibly loud, given the chance - which was quite often. Nagisa, on the other hand, spoke of the old man, teenager, and newly married accountant that were always riding his bus and bemoaned the attitudes of the latter two, though he found the elder rather endearing. He spoke briefly of his friends and described the charming house he was renting that was just big enough to throw a party he'd been planning on - a Halloween celebration, to happen at the end of the month.

Before either had really realized, their meals had come and gone, and their server, Bianca, had handed them the dessert menus. Rei protested that he was full, but Nagisa was insistent upon a dessert - at least to share. The brunet indulged him and they ordered a dark chocolate cake, drizzled in strawberry sauce with fresh fruit - likely the last of the season. Upon its arrival, the blond clapped exuberantly, eyes shining with complete and youthful delight so bright, that his date couldn't help but smile in return.

"Oh, this looks so good," he said, his mouth watering deliciously. His fork sunk into the cake softly, sliding along the moisturized surface with ease. When the first hint of a taste hit his tongue, he moaned passionately. "This is the best ever," he gushed with gusto.

"Let me have a bite," Rei requested. Thinking quickly, however, Nagisa didn't give him the other fork: he instead slipped his own in once more and held it out tantalizingly over the light of the candle for the brunet. His eyes, previously containing the glee of a child, now reflected a question that on the surface was innocence, but held strong undertones of an amorous air.

"Go ahead," he invited teasingly, reaching his foot over to the edge of Rei's pants again, in a reflection of his earlier doings. Rei's face was a canvas for the florid crimson of embarrasment, not unlike a dozen roses for love. His eyebrows tucked in and with a tame tremble of the lips he clumsily leaned in, his eyes cast on the bite. He took it in his mouth and gave a firm tug to get it off of the utensil, awkwardly chewing and swallowing.

"'s quite good," he mumbled, face so warm that Nagisa could practically feel it from where he sat. The blond took another bite and hummed in satisfaction, both at the fact that Rei had taken the bait and that it was a delicious cake. He was uncharacteristically caught off guard however when, tentatively, the brunet raised his abashed head and muttered, "So sorry to bother... Um, might I have another bite?" He squirmed like a schoolboy in his chair and the blond used the situation to his advantage by enticingly laughing, drifting forward in his chair like the flutter of chiffon in the wind, and soundlessly holding another forkful of the chocolate cake. His foot now brushed the elder man's calf. His eyes daringly met Rei's and he nibbled at his plush lips. As Rei reached for it, the blond let his mouth part gingerly, with promise of a sweet intimation to stay cradled between the two of them. And though the brunet seemed rather daft when it came to romance, his date's radiant sensuality did not escape his notice.

These last few minutes in Amber Alley passed languidly, luxuriously behind the violet shade of the fabric, illuminated dimly by the rich gold of the candlelight. The blond had awed himself with the fact that a small majority of the dessert was consumed by Rei, but being so close to him in and of itself was more enchanting than the meal. The brunet graciously paid for the meal when the time came, but neither one nor the other was quite ready to leave. And so, ever the cordial and proper gentleman, he allowed Nagisa to take his arm as they collected their belongings from the host and exited the restaurant.

The chill of the night stung the blond's bare shoulders and he attempted to suppress a shiver as the water in the fountain before him glittered coldly, drops soaring to slap against his skin like translucent freckles.

"Haven't you got a coat?" Rei inquired incredulously, examining the state of his date. Nagisa shook his head, rolling his eyes at himself for not thinking to bring a shrug of some sort with him. "No matter," the brunet hummed, slipping his overcoat off, "this will do." And he took the large, woolen coat, and gently placed it upon the blond's shoulders, hands lingering there for quite some time. He grinning thankfully and wrapped his arms around Rei's.

"Should we take a walk?" he asked playfully, clinging to the older man's side. The man nodded affably and started off away from the fountain and towards the dark of the night. Stars spangled the sky, strung across like shimmering pearls. Even in this neighborhood, they seemed more elegant and distant than elsewhere: yet they remained beautiful. "Don't you think they're just gorgeous?" he sighed lovingly, gaze lost in the depths of the glistening light.

"They are," Rei settled softly. He swallowed and took a moment to collect himself and complimented stiffly, "But not so much as you." Nagisa dug his teeth into his lips to keep from laughing at the absurd formality, though his heart was absolutely tickled pink. He wouldn't have been surprised if the man had prepared that comment beforehand.

"Thank you," he replied, snuggling closer to him as a wind passed by. He lost a bit of his composure and allowed a wobbly, awkward smile. When his eyes, blue as the night, met Nagisa's, colored like the dawn, he found he could not look away. "You look really beautiful too," he reciprocated, placing a hand over his hot heart. His face grew colored like the sun kissing a cloud as it left, promising to return the next morn.

"Oh, well - I didn't make nearly as much as an effort as you," he deflected modestly. "I'm just another fellow in a three-piece suit, but you..." The blond followed his eyes as they caressed the curve of his hip, the soft ridge of his collarbone, and at last came to ponder his feathery, pink lips. "You truly are a wonder," he finished breathlessly, sounding endlessly more authentic than when he'd previously admired him. This time he was rendered quite speechless by the sincerity he revealed and his only response was to rest his head against his arm sweetly, simply for the sake of being close. Their conversation reached a lull, but Nagisa fathomed he'd never felt more comfortable with silence than he did at this point. They strolled pleasantly along the streets, the blushing red maples decorated in pretty lights along the way. He wasn't quite sure he knew where they were headed, but he was perfectly content to watch the path unfold before them. Under the dazzling stars and among the warm strings of lights, they were content and snug, despite the persisting chill of autumn.

They had walked a fair distance when Rei stopped and murmured,

"My car's parked here. Do you need a ride home?"

"No, my friend said she'd come get me," he responded. Yet still, Nagisa didn't want to move away.

"I do have one last request, however," he proceeded formally, though timidity tainted his tone. The blond loosened his grip, but his hands only drifted downward and teased at Rei's fingers through the sleeve of the borrowed, woolly coat. The brunet, seizing his own opportunity in a rare show of confidence in his actions, firmly clasped his hand. Nagisa, like an easygoing wave, faced him, a delicate smile beginning to rise as he caught his date's eye. "I've been terribly selfish, whisking you to dinner so last minute," he reported, "but I hope you'll indulge my last whim - um, might it be all right - or rather... May I kiss you?"

"Okay," Nagisa consented, his creamy cheeks brushed by roses. Rei used his free arm to pull the little blond in close, but the younger man dropped his hand and caressed his neck, standing on the tip of his toes to reach him. With both hands free, the brunet was able to hold him in a tight embrace around the waist.

Their two lips met so tenderly halfway, but their bodies were locked in an electric shock as sharp as every star in the ink sky. They were chaste, but the kiss lasted so long, their faces hotter than any cup of coffee and Nagisa was convinced he could feel the rise of the heat on Rei's neck, but the other man could see his partner's pinkening ears, and they were delightful, under a blushing maple tree in the chill of an autumn night.


	7. Dot

**A/N:** This one is not quite as happy-go-lucky, I fear. It serves mostly as an introduction to Nagisa's family and a follow-up on his date since I accidentally posted the chapter before it was finished. Additionally, this is where Nagisa begins to run into the more serious side of his life. From here on out, especially in this chapter, there's going to be discussion of PTSD, hospitalization, and other mental health problems. Just issuing a warning to all those that may be sensitive to that kind of thing. Nagisa, in this story, has to indirectly cope with these, despite not suffering from them himself. Additionally, for the next couple weeks there won't be any updates. I'm posting this from an airport - I'm on my way to the UK!

**Chapter Seven:** Dot

Nagisa awoke dazedly, a fine pink dust trembling warmly upon his shoulders and concealing the dot of his freckles. A fair light filtering in through the window caressed the air as little particles shivered through the room. The memory of firm arms graced his hips and the whisper of lips brushed against his in sweet parting. His falling sheets exposed the curve of his collarbone as he rolled to one side in order to check the time on the clock at his bedside table. It was just barely past eight, and the moment was perfect to rise. He cast away his curtains and allowed the sun to leak in - the day promised to be the first beautiful one in a long while. Every ray of sunshine stroked starry dewdrops upon the grass and trees in front of his house. He sighed and leaned against the windowsill, basking in the night that had caused him to awake in a blush.

After the kiss, Rei refused to surrender Nagisa, let alone leave him there to await Eva. He cited warmth as his reason, maintaining that it wouldn't do for his date to be cold, but they were both well aware that it was a flimsy lie at best. He allowed his hands to roam about the blond's hips experimentally while the smaller man explored the muscles of his arms through his fine coat. The gentle wind carried soft sweet-nothings upon it, stopped only when they leaned in for another kiss. During these, he would lean forward upon his toes and tentatively use his sumptuous lips to beg for something deeper: but Rei held out and kept them beautifully virtuous until at last, Nagisa abandoned the pursuit of running forward to simply savor the moment, the thick taste of wine and chocolate complimenting the mood.

Eva had been polite to honk blaringly as she pulled up to the curb, cutting the pair off from their collection of intimate moments and whisked her friend away after a sorrowful, sweet kiss goodbye. The promise of return danced in the breeze. And so, Nagisa made his way home and collapsed in his bed, a chaste blush glowing from his sheets.

He pushed himself off of the sill and made his way to his floor, tossing this and that out of his way until he found his black and pink jogging shorts, printed V-neck shirt, and a light jacket from uni to wear for his morning jog. He felt he had the energy to go all the way to the coffee shop and back today without the aid of the city bus, but as he donned his clothes and stepped out the door, as per usual, he found himself starting off in the opposite direction. He bounded off to the left, away from his usual bus stop, and passed several single story houses similar to his own, about half of which were rented out, he was aware. It never took him longer than five minutes to reach the two-story area, mostly inhabited by middle-class families. He was fairly certain the teenager and the cranky banker lived here, but he thought the old man lived closer to him. After this, he passed a hedge that stood taller than himself, shielding a park from view. The entrance was at the end of the block. He entered the park, passing a few other runners on his way down the path and came to a creek, alongside which he jogged for about another five minutes before he approached a pedestrian bridge. He crossed it jauntily, and instead of turning this way or that, he ran straight forward to a brick driveway carved artfully through a manicured lawn. At the top of the slope stood a stately, three-story building constructed traditionally with even lines of colorful flowers out front. A sign at the top of the drive read "St. Lucy Community Hospital: In-Patient Clinic". As confidently as if he himself resided there, Nagisa strode up and danced his way into the front hall.

St. Lucy's was a simply immaculate and quaint building, both inside and out. Within the main hall was a fairly comfortable waiting area, dotted here and there with average chairs and an occasional couch, the scent of Purex slicing sharply as a scalpel through the room. The coffee tables held a multitude of medical magazines, all well-worn and out-dated by several months. On the first floor, down either hall, were several examination rooms, half of which Nagisa assumed were plush and pleasant, and the other half of which remained consistent with the expected bed, sink, table, and mediocre art. Even from this level, the unsettling silence was interrupted intermittently only by the buzz of the lights and the echo of beeping machines down the clean, white halls. On some of the upper floors were rooms for overnight guests visiting family. Most of them were the same, featuring a queen bed, a window overlooking the fenced courtyard, and a bookshelf with old scientific journals. He was plenty contented in the rooms, after having stayed there so often.

He strolled away from the empty waiting area and leaned over the front desk at the nurse who'd taken over the receptionist job as well. She was a blond woman from the United States that had once played basketball in university, though rather than pursuing athletics, she chose to marry a man from Yorkshire and settle down. She and Nagisa shared the trait of being talkative and had gotten to know each other loosely through short chats at the almost always empty desk.

"Welcome back, Mr. Hazuki," Alexandra Garcia greeted cheerily. "What can we do for you today?" He grinned at her, wiped a bit of sweat off his brow, and requested,

"Could I get a visitor's pass? And water would be pretty nice, too." She nodded, for it was the same reply as always, and fetched him a disposable cup with cold water. She made a note of his presence and handed the pass to him with a gracious smile.

"Have a good visit," she replied. The man waved at her as he turned down one of the halls to one of the doors leading out. He didn't even really have to show his pass to the MHT, Kagetora Aida, at the door.

"We know you," he huffed with amusement, stepping away from his perch and falling in step with the younger man as they left the building. Now, rather than a typical horseshoe shape, this facility was disconnected and separated into three parts. The first building contained most of the medical rooms and therapy areas, but the other two, one on either end of the first, were residential areas, both only two stories high. A tall brick wall stood firmly, shutting off an open courtyard area from the wild of the outside world. The courtyard had a small, shallow brook running through it, along with a multitude of flowers, trees, and benches, creating a somewhat stereotypically peaceful area. Nothing within the fence was dangerous: nothing to cut, nothing to hang, nothing to harm someone, nothing to harm oneself.

Mr. Aida obligingly unlocked the door to the second area for Nagisa.

"The grounds are all yours for the next... oh, half an hour or so? Breakfast'll be over by then and Alex had a basketball clinic planned for some of the patients. But you can stay out as long as you'd like - everyone's used to you by now." They strolled down to the last room on the left of the hall, the door echoing hollowly behind them and sealing out the fresh sun, leaving only the faded fluorescent hum of strung-out bulbs above. They reflected off of the sterile white-washed walls, leaving the emptiness of the cavern suffocatingly claustrophobic. The blond glanced expectantly at the medical technician, but he shook his head.

"His condition's been improving - we aren't worried about keeping his door locked for the time being." The little man beamed at him, pushed the door open, and tiptoed in, Mr. Aida respectfully remaining at the threshold. The sunlight was weak, filtering through low linen curtains that were drawn shut and no lights were on. The room was cast in a dim, tired greyscale, the only colors coming from three years' worth of fashion magazines stacked neatly in a shelf, each one organized by its monthly date and fraying at the corners. Three of four potted flowers outlined in the window were beginning to wilt and wither. They had all been gifts from Nagisa. Beside the window was a hunched, crippled silhouette with a gentle wave of wispy, misty hair, glittering sunset pill bottles surrounding the figure as though it were a still statue.

"Daddy?" Nagisa called tenderly into the room. A frail hand inched down a metal wheel and pivoted its chair slowly to face the boy in the room, tugging with what little strength its soldiering might had left to give. When the man completed the revolution, he sagged back into the wheelchair and flung open both arms with abandon, grinning a toothless, wistful grin. The blond brightened like the sun after a shower and dashed in, launching himself into his father's arms. "Daddy, how are you? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever - also it's a totally nice day, so I'm taking you out for a walk around the courtyard." He chuckled heartily, wrapping the skin of his arms around his son's back as he slid off of the elderly man's lap.

"Easy does it," Colonel Ken Hazuki of the British Army croaked, "it's only been a week and a few days, hasn't it?" Nagisa smiled apologetically, leaning over his father's embrace while simultaneously reaching over to his bed for a plain, worn throw. When that failed to work, he wriggled away from the colonel to toss the blanket over his legs.

"It's a little nippy out," he explained, standing fully on his own. He approached the neglected flowers and inspected them, disheartened at their appearance. Sympathetically, he took them one at a time to the open bathroom, not making a remark on them but continuing, "Besides, I usually visit at least twice a week - I can't just, like, not show up!" The brunet man's eyes drifted away like a wispy cloud as he eyed the last live bloom and Nagisa began pushing him from behind.

"Yes, but you've been working hard - didn't you say there was something going on? You seemed down last time. Is work okay?" Carefully, the blond bumped his chair over the edge of the door and out into the chilly, beautiful morn, the MHT long since having become a shadow behind them.

"Yeah," he began, working his way toward the shallow brook. "I was kind of sick of being an assistant, but it's all good - I finally got promoted!" He puffed up somewhat pompously and his father twisted in his chair to pat his driving hands. "I'm a columnist now," he explained cheerfully. "I get to write the accessories column now - it's monthly! Also - the new issue is coming out next week - can you believe it? Now you actually have a reason to read all those magazines I bring you." The colonel murmured a laugh and replied mildly,

"I read them because you are proud of them, of your work, and so I am proud too. I read them all the time, but I haven't had the chance for a few days - Dr. Green said that she feels it's all right to leave the door unlocked now, so I can go out. I've been going upstairs to pass the time lately." Nagisa beamed at his father, a million shades of gold from his hair, the sun, and his heart glittering along his face.

"Daddy, that's so great! You're getting better! You're really improving!" The man chuckled at his son's relentless praise at his progress, waving it off with a vein-stroked hand. Out the corner of his eye, the boy caught it and in turn rolled his own pretty hazel-red ones. "Don't give me that," he scolded with exasperation. "You've done really good, I mean it." They neared the creek and parked right beside a bench. Long leaves were webbed lethargically with mildew, partially soaked in the grey stream, with dots of dust resting on the dry areas. The blond tucked his legs under him and leaned off the edge to look at his father. He grunted in reply and did not settle down in contentment until he took his sun-bleached blanket and spread it over the both of them.

"Your legs are all bare, you oughta be freezing in those shorts."

"I'm fine, Daddy," he soothed, "I just jogged for like, 15 minutes. I came straight from home." He gave a miserly huff and the father and son cast their gazes into the brook. A breeze tickled the surface, grasses bowing and bothering the surface, and sent soft brushes of ripples outward from the eddies. Half-drowned, wet flowers slouched at the shores, disturbed by the round rocks of the stream. The pair was silent awhile, both captivated by their thoughts. Nagisa intuitively felt that his father did not want to chat away, hiding away his worries under the guise of pleasantries as he'd often did when his boy was young. So while the sunny son focused on the rising day, his father reflected the days leading to his current twilight. Hesitantly, his lips twitched and the blond attentively perked toward the colonel.

"How's Kate?" he murmured, the wind rocking the wavering words away into the west. The boy flinched and in his heart, an old scar stretched widely enough to embrace his father's mirrored one.

"She goes by Kathy now," the boy started uncertainly, his voice clouded with mildew reluctance. "Um, I guess she's all right. "Thinks it sounds less country-ish, I guess. But, um - well, we haven't really talked much recently," he admitted cautiously. His father nodded sadly at the foreign name that another man whispered in intimacy where he had failed.

"How about Rachael? And Caroline and Teresa too? Are they doing well?" He pursued the topic like a delusion. "They must be very busy - it's been awhile since I've seen them. Are they working? You've spoken to them, right? They must be so successful." The blond's heart pulled itself thinly to both sides of his chest and drooped low like a wrinkly raindrop on a window pane.

"They're great - you know, they told me to bring you those other flowers," he lied whitely. Each plant on the sill in his room was addressed from a different child: wilting white lilies from Rachael, the eldest girl at thirty, dry marigold from Caroline, the firstborn twin of twenty-eight, and red poppies from Teresa, younger by a minute. Sweet sunny daffodils were the only ones left living: they had been the only ones addressed from Nagisa, despite the fact that he had purchased them all. "Rachael's working a little ways from Essex - she's an officer now, but you know that. Caroline, let's see, she's um... she's got a job with an architecture firm, and Teresa... well, I'm not sure what she's been up to, it's been awhile, but she's doing something at a business firm. Travels a lot, too." In truth, he hadn't spoken to any of them in an incredibly long time - other than quick and awkward phone calls for birthdays, it had been over a year. He had the tendency to avoid that part of the family, for since their mother's marriage to Nathan Abbot, a horribly outspoken bigot but present family man that had won the hearts of all four women, he had not felt welcome. He had never come out to any of them, nor did he ever dress in a particularly feminine fashion when around, nor did he ever reveal his job beyond "writer for a magazine", yet somehow the man couldn't stand Nagisa's delicate demeanor. It may have been due to the photos of him as a child, dressed and painted by his sisters, or perhaps the fault of his caring, tender heart, but Nathan only ever saw fit to correct the blond boy's very existence on the planet. At first, when they made up the very photograph of bliss, he hadn't minded, but the longer they carried on as a family, the more his mother - followed by his sisters - began questioning why he was so effeminate. It was that condition of their atrophic, blood-beating hearts that broke his softly expanding and retracting one and since, he had given them a wide berth.

"They'll come see me soon," the colonel assured himself nostalgically, "just you wait and see." But Nagisa couldn't shake the feeling that the forlorn man spoke in vain. When their eyes next met each other, a flickering hum of warmth shone in their dark, honey depths like a semblance of hope and they couldn't help but smile at each other. The boy leaned over to hug his father and, swiftly certain, replied,

"Yeah, I'm sure they'll come soon." Now with less-heavy hearts, the man laughed and patted his son's curly locks.

"Enough about me, now, and enough about work - tell me how you've really been," he insisted brightly. The blond straightened and enthusiastically proceeded,

"My friend, Eva - you know, I told her about you, she was a photographer that went to France - she's back now! It's totally great to have her back. We went out drinking the other night, too, which was lots of fun. She doesn't really work next to me and Gou, but whatever - her work kind of coincides with ours a lot, so it's okay." A fine plum shimmer flushed his cheeks and his father observantly perked up. "And, well," he muttered in response to his father's expectant look, "last night I went on this really great date with this guy. Also - um, he's really great, he's not like the others. I mean, I know it was only one date, but he's like, a lawyer, and he's got a really good sense of right and wrong, and I dunno - I just like him a lot so far." Ken nodded understandingly.

"Well, be careful - don't want my princess getting too hurt." Nagisa rolled his eyes.

"I'll be fine, Daddy - besides, shouldn't you stop calling me princess? I'm not like, seven anymore." But the colonel shook his head as indignantly as his son spoke.

"If I didn't fight for the princess of my home, I wouldn't have gone at all," he insisted, great dignity steeling itself in his voice. The younger man didn't let on that it pleased him still, as it had when he was a child.

Nagisa left a few hours later, light-hearted, but feeling as though a tick was sucking at each beat. He had successfully avoided the topic of his mother's marriage yet again and despite being used to it at this point, he couldn't deny that every time his feet felt heavier on the run home. Kathy had met Nathan ten years prior and their relationship progressed much more quickly than anyone had anticipated. The twins, at that point both seventeen, had fallen in love with the idea of father to protect them from big, bad boys - a man who'd defend their innocence at gunpoint - and took to calling him "Dad" in the span of six months. The eldest, already having graduated from secondary school, never felt quite that close, but affectionately referred to him as "Nate". Nagisa himself had been open at first, but after one too many years of being told to man up, he froze in a passively frigid state, avoiding anything to do with him like he would the plague.

These thoughts clouded his cleared day as he proceeded jogging down a miscellaneous path rather than retracing his steps home. His eyes slipped like a raindrop to his feet, his troubled thoughts simmering around like a mist in the morning. He fathomed his fogged, dreamy mind wouldn't have noticed anyone other than those in his thoughts even if they hit him head on.

Of course, he'd been wrong about that.

Headfirst, he hurled himself into a solid, lean figure's chest and bounced right off, tripping away with a hand on his head. A set of glasses clattered on the ground beside him and a phone curled off into the grass by the creek bed. Nagisa stumbled up to right himself and instantaneously spouted,

"Bloody fuck - Jesus, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention -"

"No, no, it was entirely my fault, I shouldn't have been staring at my phone -" They looked up to ensure the other's well-being, and even through unfocused, dewy eyes they recognized one another on the spot, their dreams and thoughts having been decorated with one another since the cover of the night. The blond snatched up the red glasses from the asphalt.

"Rei!" he exclaimed vivaciously, honeyed smile matching the sun like pure beauty. The man picked up his phone and grinned happily at the smaller man.

"Nagisa," he acknowledged, earnestness filling his voice, "what brings you here? Or," he paused, examining his attire and proceeded, "well, I suppose you're out jogging, aren't you? That was obvious, but um... Yes, hello." The blond's laugh twinkled through the air.

"Yeah, I jog out here when I have the day off. I didn't expect - well, you said you were in track, so I guess it makes sense." The brunet perked up hopefully.

"I was actually about to text you," he admitted sheepishly. "I wanted to know when I could see you again - but I guess we just answered that one." He shifted awkwardly, appearing as though he couldn't quite figure out what to say next. Nagisa mercifully took over and stated,

"Well, we're both here, anyways - mind if I tag along wherever you're headed? I was just kind of wandering." Relieved, Rei gave a vigorous nod to demonstrate his utmost agreement.

"Certainly - I just do laps around the pond, though. Nothing really extravagant." The two of them fell into an easy jog together, without quite realizing they'd done it, proceeding in the direction from which Nagisa came.

"That's no short run," he huffed in response, thinking out the route in his head. They were on the west side of the pond now, though many yards up from it, beside the creek that ran into it. He assumed they'd turn back around on the other side of the pedestrian bridge, passing the picnic and children's area on the way, before coming up on the east edge of the pond. It was almost a kilometer all around, intermittently dotted with fountains and water fowl, but including the length they'd have to go to reach the bridge again on the opposite side, the entire path would be nearly two and a half kilometers - and it sounded as if Rei ran around it more than once. "You must be pretty dedicated," he commented.

"You're familiar with the area, then?" the taller man responded, glancing down at his companion. "It's one of my favorite places."

"Mine too!" Nagisa interjected delightedly. "I really love that place where the hill kind of slopes into the pond - you know, that area right before the sidewalk starts? There's this really weird maple tree there that's shaped all funny with a bench just right under it and oh - I just remembered, around this time, it gets really pretty and red and orange, like fire, but it's like, not." The brunet grinned at his enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I know where that is, but my favorite place is the bridge - when I first moved here, I used to toss breadcrumbs at the birds. Kind of silly, but even now, I love thinking there." As he spoke, they arrived to its edge and the man slowed, coming to a full stop at the edge. Nagisa's brows furrowed slightly.

"Why do you like it here? I mean, like really - throwing crumbs to thinking deeply is kind of a jump. What makes you like to think so much here?" he inquired curiously, peering over Rei's shoulder at the gently flowing water below. The taller man leaned over the railing fondly, regarding the smaller man gently.

"That's a good question. I suppose feeding the ducks always made me feel better - like I was helping something at least. But - well, it sounds stupid out loud, but I always felt like the water was mirroring my thoughts. It would help me fix them up to run straight and clean." The blond observed the bridge, attempting to see it in a new light. It was dusted with brown and yellow leaves from the surrounding trees and the ivory paint was beginning to chip and peel at the edges. The sprinting water below was streaked occasionally with mud. He wrinkled his eyebrows, picking through the image and trying to construct beauty in place of what he saw. Rei laughed sincerely at his concentration and commented, "It's fine if you don't really understand. It does tend to look run down in this kind of weather. Honestly, I like it best in summer - those willows over there," he remarked, pointing off to the side while Nagisa approached and relaxed beside him, "they're really a splendid, rich green around that time. And the water is cleaner with less leaves and rain. And it's just - it's nice." The blond glanced at the smooth arch of the bridge and details in the railings, picturing it with ease when his companion's sweet, low murmur described it. He leaned pleasantly against Rei's arm.

"I get it," he replied comprehensively. "Plus this old bridge is kind of like, Victorian-looking. It must be really beautiful." Without thinking, he chuckled and remarked, "You're surprisingly romantic, huh?" Simultaneously they pulled away from the edge and the taller man rolled his eyes.

"Hardly!" he exclaimed incredulously. "People always say I'm the most logical person they've met." They continued past the bridge and trotted toward the south end of the park, but stubbornly, Nagisa persisted,

"I don't believe it!" Rei grinned easily and rolled his eyes. "I can't exactly call you logical, either," he laughed.

"Oh, really now?" The brunet's question humorously invited an explanation.

"Well, for example, you wouldn't really say 'I'm not romantic' to someone you've been flirting with," he pointed out, eyes trained on his beaded face. The working flush grew into an embarrassed blush and he muttered some sort of scolding to himself.

"Sorry," he backtracked abashedly. "I don't mean to sound uninterested or prudish. I really am." The blond made a funny face at the comment and he hustled to correct himself. "Interested. I really am interested. Not prudish." But the younger man's laugh bubbled softly as a brook in place of the stream they left behind and Rei flowed back into a wondrous ease.

After jogging past the children's park, the pond came into view, sparkling with the light of a high noon sun. Across the way, they could see couples, parents, children, and simple people out and about to enjoy what could easily be the last of the sunlight for the year. Birdsong hummed through the air, accompanied by the clash of joyously barking dogs throughout; it was the image of peace.

"Look, Rei!" Nagisa cried happily, pointing rapidly at an oddly squat and spread out tree halfway around. "That's the tree I was talking about!" He perked up and with senselessly renewed energy dashed all the way around the shore in eager anticipation of sharing something precious with the man at his side. In spite of his longer legs, Rei fell behind his companion's ceaseless strides and arrived panting at its roots as Nagisa scrambled against the trunk, seeking purchase in its nooks and crannies.

"Nagisa," the brunet exclaimed quizzically, "what on earth are you doing?"

"I'm climbing!" he explained, gesturing toward the tree for pointless emphasis. "I used to do this all the time when I got here for uni, but I haven't been for forever!" He grappled around the base, standing on his toes in an attempt to reach the hollow where the branches spread out to tickle the sky. It had been much easier with his roommate's assistance. "Come help me up," he requested offhandedly. Hesitantly, Rei asked,

"You're sure we're allowed?"

"Yeah," he replied easily, still struggling up. He glanced back playfully. "But then again, I've also never been caught." Despite being entirely scandalized, the brunet came up behind him and blundered around with his hands a moment, uncertainly hovering near Nagisa's hips. He muttered to himself a few times, as though questioning how best to lift him, before decidedly settling on snatching him up at the waist and boosting him several inches off of the ground. The blond brushed his fingers against the older man's before reaching his hand up into the branches and hauling himself up a thick stick, inching over slightly to make room for the other. With a deep huff, Rei dragged his body to sit alongside the blond. Through the vibrant leaves, dusted in hues of toasted ambers and malleable golds, the turquoise sky shone hard like a gem. A breeze whispered to the trees, stirring the hot bronze fronds through the cold depth of the air. "This is why I love it," he murmured, casting his gaze over the sidewalk. Under the metallic canopy, they were invisible, to be kept a sweet secret among the quietly dancing leaves. He swung a leg over and straddled the branch, beckoning the brunet closer until their foreheads tapped together, the champagne locks twining with the royal blue. In his ear, the little one hummed, "'Cause no one can see us."

Nagisa was the first to lean in, his softly pliable lips tugging at the edge of Rei's open mouth. He left a trail of butterfly touches, begging to be reciprocated and the older man hardly stood a chance - resistance was entirely futile. The following kisses were decorated with the softest notion of intimacy, hushed by the whisper of the wind through the leaves. They held each other comfortably, the strands of one another's hair brushing up against their cheeks, their little beads of sweat tickling their skin and mingling with the damp dribble of their lips. The blond whimpered silkily into the embrace when Rei stroked the hair away from his neck, leaving trails of dusty warmth wherever they graced. The touch was so compassionate; the two fit snugly against each other. They were sipping wetly at one another, neither one quite willing to enter the other, contenting themselves with the mild, warm vibrations from hums of pleasure. They let go simultaneously and, lips still grinding on one another's, Nagisa murmured,

"Not romantic, huh?" Rei's chuckle brushed against the blond's mouth so beautifully and, hushed, he whispered back,

"It's your fault, though." Yet even so, under the azure sky drifting though the gold leaves, they were both thrilled and delighted at this first intimation of affection.


	8. Ivory

**A/N:** I'm going to take the time to note that prior to this chapter, this story had 23,432 words - 23432. A palindrome. An awesome. I rock. I spent time researching British supermarkets for this chapter. It was an odd adventure. Also God bless the UK and USA vocabularies which allow me to use cart and trolley interchangeably in description. Again, for some reason, this was an incredibly difficult one to write, for entirely different reasons than Chapter 4. I'd go into more detail, but hopefully, if I wrote this right, its significance will be evident later on. I've finally arrived back home from the UK - my time in London, thought short, gave me some interesting insights to living there, so I may go back an change quite a bit of what I've written about the settings. If, in the future, you read something that doesn't correlate with what I've previously done, then please know that it's cause I'm shaping it up a bit. That said, it won't change drastically. Probably just Nagisa's dwellings and method of transportation. And finally, the version of this fic has finally caught up to its AO3 counterpart. Expect updates to come with less frequency from now on, though trust that I'm doing my damnedest to write speedily. Thank you for your patience and do enjoy!

**Chapter Eight:** Ivory

Where everything began to wither and wane with the way of winter, Nagisa and Rei's relationship blossomed like lenten rose so soon after the last snowfall. In the month that came, they most frequented the coffee shop around their lunch times where together they reviewed inconsequential details of their days and worked on their crossword puzzles, often having to work hard to find certain facts about themselves in connection with the words they wrote. On Wednesdays, a day off that they shared, they would meet in the park and jog together, lightly chit-chattering about more personal matters - the blond complained many days that he hadn't been grocery shopping in months, and Rei would notice that each week, he still wouldn't have done anything about it. Though tentative as the furl of the first spring flower, they were content in this easy progression.

By the end of October, they had encountered no serious problems beyond light bickering due to competitions in their crosswords, though much to Rei's chagrin, this seemed only to work to Nagisa's advantage, who used it as suspension for flirtatious tension. Not that it seemed the brunet particularly minded, though. In order to spare his patience, however, the little one kept it light and teasing, if not with an edge of triumph. Rei very rarely got the upperhand in such arguments, and when he did, the poor blond was known to pout his way to deceitful victory. He honestly thought that his jogging partner would have made an outstanding defense attorney if he'd tried.

The day after such an argument - something that had to do with some rule at his workplace - Nagisa had remained as sullen and pouty as ever, and frankly, the older lawyer was beginning to feel concerned that he'd actually upset him. He was rather put off and considerably quieter than Rei was accustomed to as they jogged along, just as they crossed the ivory bridge, with his voice picking up the edge of curiosity, he asked of Nagisa;

"Is something wrong? You're a little quiet today." The smaller man panted and rolled his pretty eyes, dancing nervously around in place as the brunet slowed to a stop. At this response, he perked up. If anything bothered him, the extroverted young man only needed the one question before, like a needle to a balloon, he would pour out all his emotions in a single round.

"You're going to make fun of me," he complained dramatically in reply, halting himself abruptly by a bench to stretch - it was high time for a break, this being the beginning of their second lap around the pond. Rei copied his movements, huffing at the lack of his partner's willingness to divulge the problem. Occasionally this response was routine as well, and so he promised sincerely,

"I won't. If you talk about it, we can fix it, can't we? But if you don't, then we can't." His tone was systematic and efficient, though his heart uneasily dwelt on the idea of an angered little blond. To his increasing apprehension, this had no effect on the typically happy-go-lucky man, who sighed sensationally and collapsed climatically down upon the cold, metallic bench.

"No," he whined, "you're gonna think it's just ridiculous!" The brunet sat beside him, taking his legs into his lap, genuine worry beginning to shine in his eyes. But no matter, for Nagisa disregarded this. He was certain that he'd be mocked by his staunchily organized attorney.

"If something's really wrong, then I want you to feel as though you can talk with me," the brunet confessed, his voice sincerely tainted with concern. Thus far, he hadn't been faced with a blond that was unwilling and the little one sensed his confusion with precisely how to deal with these reactions. Chilly birds shook their feathers and chirped to fill the hesitant silence.

"Well," he began tentatively, "when you put it like that, I guess it doesn't sound so bad - but no laughing, 'kay?" Rei nodded seriously, eyes trained on him as he leaned up and scooted closer. "So, I told everyone at work that I'd throw a Halloween party and they all remembered that it's this Friday, but um... I didn't." The brunet's eyebrows shot up in shock but he was interrupted before he spoke. "I know, I know!" Nagisa groaned stressfully. "It was stupid. But it's just, I have work tomorrow and Friday and I just don't have time to clean my house or to buy things 'cause everything I have is expired or to finish my decorations or anything."

"Why didn't you just do it today?" Rei interrogated as the little blond slid off of his thighs. His arms crossed shyly as he rolled his eyes melodramatically again and pointed out his obvious reason.

"Because I wanted to spend time with you! I can't just cancel all of a sudden! What if you thought I was with someone else?"

"I would've understood," he replied easily, standing and offering a chivalrous hand to Nagisa. He took it gratefully, a soft grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Besides," he continued, a voice painted with great amusement, "I think you're really just putting off having to clean and shop." The blond whipped his hand away and, ever impressive, gave a sassy flip of his hair and roll of his pretty eyes. Rei laughed breathlessly at the wonderful display.

"You said you wouldn't make fun of me! I'm actually like, really stressed!" he accused petulantly, turning away from his snickering date.

"I'm sorry," he apologized cheerily, "but if you'd like, we can do it together." When Nagisa looked back, the man's eyes were warm, like a cloudless summer night tinged with moonshine. His heart gave a warm flip at the gentle, admiring expression and they reached for one another's hands at the same time.

"Well, okay, if you insist," he teased heartily, giving Rei's hand a gentle shake side-to-side. So hand-in-hand, they proceeded onward together.

Rei drove them to a grocery store in a practical black sedan that Nagisa pinpointed to be several years old - perhaps a 2010 model at the latest, but he couldn't be too sure. It was appropriately and apparently well-used, but had been clearly been pristinely cared for so that it shone in a pleasantly good condition. Ever the gentleman, he had made sure to open the passenger side door for the blond both upon departure and arrival.

"I wish there was a Booths around," Nagisa complained after awhile in the large, towering supermarket. It was the store he'd grown up around: their attitude was friendly both towards their customers and their farmers, but they unfortunately operated only in the north. He'd been reduced to scouring these shelves for the best products he could afford.

"I offered to help pay at Waitrose," Rei pointed out factually, watching his younger date crawl along his hands and knees to search the bottom-most shelf. "And get up off the floor, you look ridiculous," he proceeded to say, his cheeks dusted with an embarrassed blush. He glanced around to check if anyone was eyeing them oddly, but Nagisa was already aware that their aisle was empty. Not that it mattered, anyhow. He'd be doing this regardless and so in reply, the blond shook his head vigorously.

"I need to see if they have the same kind of candy like at Booths!" he protested, scanning each item thoroughly. "Besides, Waitrose is way too expensive. And it's for snobs anyhow." He sighed in frustration and stood, not having found the candy from his childhood.

"But I shop there," the brunet said mildly, standing up from where he leaned against the cart. The blond tossed in a few miscellaneous bags of candy corns.

"Exactly," he countered sassily, wringing a sharp laugh from the attorney.

"All right then, what else is on your list?" When he'd previously discovered that Nagisa hadn't even written a list, he'd been horrified to the point where he made them sit in his car and compose an entire catalog of all the things he'd need.

"Um, let's see," he hummed, scanning it over. They'd already collected the candy corn for the party and basic necessities for his living, such as fresh milk, bread, and half a dozen eggs. Rei had been sweetly conscious of his date's lesser budget all the while and, though he'd offered to help pay here as well, respected Nagisa's wishes in purchasing it himself. The little blond had begun to grow quite fond of him. "Oh! Pecans and almonds are next. I'm gonna roast them. My roommate in uni did that for me once - his family always sent him nuts 'round this time, so I figured I'd try," he explained delightedly, the recollection of toasty, sweet warmth buttered his heart even on the coldest of nights. "I mean, I'm not doing it today," he carried on, "'cause we like, have to clean and stuff, so I'll probably leave it for Thursday." Rei frowned.

"Don't put it off too long," he warned, passing the trolley off to Nagisa after he folded the list.

"Only if you don't be such a worrywart," he teased in a sing-song voice, taking a running start and pushing off childishly. He shot down to the end of the aisle, attempting to hum inconsequentially in a pretense of ignoring Rei's scandalized scolding. He giggled through his music regardless.

"Hey!" the brunet called, dashing down the aisle after him. "If you're going to do that, then be careful!" The blond's honey-sweet laughter, having overflowed through his faked negligence of his date's presence, danced back to him delicately. As he caught up to the slowing cart, they stumbled to an easier pace. The pair reached the snack aisle, clumsily snickering to each other, though a lower voice added in his chiming chides. They scanned the shelves, and the blond cautiously checked the prices, decidedly tossing the cheapest bags of nuts in the cart. "Now, wait a moment," the attorney scolded gently, examining the bags. "How much do you need?"

"I was gonna use about three cups each," he replied, curiously examining his date. "Why?"

"Well," he began thoughtfully, pushing his apple red glasses up the bridge of his nose, "if you do the math properly, you can save more money." He picked up one of the bundles and read the information thoroughly. "The almonds have about three and a half cups, and the pecans..." He pulled them out. "The pecans have five." Glancing analytically back at the shelves, the brunet easily calculated the prices. "These almonds," he commented, pointing to a higher shelf, "sell more for what would be less. There are, oh, perhaps six cups or so, so it'll save you money in the long run. Besides, what would you do with a half cup, anyhow?" He grinned impressively at Nagisa, eyes shining with the hope of praise, and the blond did smile, but shook his head.

"I would use it. The amount doesn't matter that much, you know." Taken aback, Rei's eyebrows creased like hands on a clock and, to the blond's great amusement, he practically whined,

"I don't understand. With the candy, you were so specific, and you positively insisted on the prices that would save you the most money, but all of a sudden, you're tossing all of the detail around." Nagisa shot him a disbelieving glance.

"You really think I'm detail-oriented?" he inquired ironically, leaning against the trolley and observing the flustered man at his side. He had yet to take his finger down from where he pointed at the almonds.

"Well - I mean, I suppose I noticed - it's not that I assumed -" he stuttered, pulling away his hand to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "But whatever suits you, I suppose," he proceeded, his skin red with humiliation. Nagisa had won this round, it seemed, but his date's pride took a few hits. Nagisa sighed with a familiar gentle humor, and continued more sweetly,

"Thank you. The candy thing is more of a sentimentality than anything else - emotions trump everything with me, pretty much, and I'm a bit of a starving uni graduate. I have to be picky with prices." The attorney removed his hands from his face as its color had gone down - save his ears, but the columnist wouldn't remind him of that fact. "Besides," he hummed funnily, "you missed one glaring fact, Mr. Lawyer." Never one to back down from the baiting of the blond, he demanded desperately,

"And what's that?" Nagisa grinned.

"The three and a half cups are still cheaper." He rolled his violet eyes, perhaps in imitation of the younger man, and stalked off with the cart, claiming that it was high time they moved on, if they wanted to use their time efficiently. The snickers of his date trailed behind him teasingly.

Their shopping continued without a hint of a ceasefire between them, but as they drove past the park and into a small, suburban neighborhood, the backseat laden with groceries, Nagisa was well aware that no amount of his teasing would lead to victory. Rei parked along the drive.

"This is it, right?" he inquired, scrutinizing the one-story structure intensely. Nagisa popped out of the car, suddenly nervous by the other man's relentless scanning of the area. Uncertainly, he wondered how his dwelling would appear in the brunet's eyes, who had been far more successful from an earlier age and, as he had come to learn, had been blessed with more privilege as he grew.

Nagisa supposed he'd found a nice place, what with his budget. It was nearly classic, but had taken on some of his charm, so to speak, despite not living there himself. There was a short stone pathway leading up to an off-center door on the left, and, hidden by a row of unruly flowers right beside it, were rectangular windows with diamond panes. In the sunlight, they glittered prettily - they had been what first caught his eye when he toured the house two years ago. On its immediate right, a bit farther out from door, were two plainer windows. Were his curtains ever open, they'd reveal the little bedroom inside. The house itself was a light shade of green, like the soft sage, with navy shutters and a smattering of wildflowers in front. Overall, with his subpar gardening skills, it appeared as though a child had taken a handful of crayons and colored all over a classic painting. Rei blinked at it a few times, decidedly both under- and over-whelmed by its appearance, and his date hustled to the porch.

"Ahh, come right in!" He invited hurriedly, cheeks a rosy red, as it had been impolite of him to stand there gawking at his own house. The brunet thanked him and following his lead naturally, removed his shoes at the door. "So, erm - w-what do you think?" When Rei turned his neutrally analytic gaze to Nagisa, the blond found himself jumping to say, "I mean, it's definitely small and I'm not too great at keeping the flowers in tact - I mean, I don't even own this house - but it's got a nice yard in case I'd erm... want a dog or something." He'd finished off lamely, rubbing at the back of his neck and chewing on his lip slightly, and the brunet gave an amused huff.

"I'm not sure what I was expecting," he explained, "but I think it suits you, really." There was a brief moment in which Nagisa relaxed, but it didn't take the infallibly efficient man a second to proceed, "So what do we need to do first? After we put away the groceries, of course." Right. The outside may have charmed his date, but from here on out, the poor writer didn't stand a chance to win any praise. Without waiting for acknowledgement, he approached the tiny kitchen to the side and swung the door open. His face curdled like the milk Nagisa had yet to thrown out and he gagged slightly while tossing it shut once more. His watering eyes found the young man rubbing at the back of his neck and his eyebrows ticked inward. "We have our work cut out for us," he stated, flat and plain as day. The blond shrugged halfheartedly.

They started by pulling everything out of the fridge - empty eggshells were tossed in the compost, spoiled milk was thrown in the outdoor trash, and it was apparent that very little was salvageable. Just as well, too, for Nagisa was sure he needed a fresh start. He searched through the damp area beneath the sink ("A plumber will have to look at that eventually," Rei had commented) and pulled out his cleaning materials triumphantly.

"Found 'em!" he chirped delightedly, waving a blue bottle at the brunet.

"Excellent," he praised, tossing a rag from the bathroom at Nagisa. "You can get started on wiping down the shelves, and I'll get started cleaning out the pantry. When you're done, start putting away what we bought, all right?" His partner nodded, squirting an excess of the product on the towel - he was sure to need it - and slapped it down on the uppermost shelf, standing on his toes in order to reach the back with his fresh, soapy hands. He ran it under the sink when he'd finished with that level, unusually pleased with himself for his work. True, he was being helped and he hadn't instigated anything, but it relieved him to finally be getting his chores done, rather than simply remarking on it with each passing day. And, he noting with a glance at his hardworking date, he was happy to be working with Rei, the clatters of groceries, ceramic plates, and squeaking rags filling the silence as opposed to his own aimless chatter. All the talk could frankly be exhausting, though he enjoyed the lawyer's company thoroughly, and this day of work had been quite the blessing. The blond grinned pleasurably as he dumped more blue cleaning soap onto his towel and began work on the second level, now able to lower himself from his toes.

"Do you want me to get that top shelf for you?" Rei asked, glancing over from where he was pulling out a stale, two-year-old cereal box and some jam he had yet to open.

"Nope!" Nagisa hummed, capably adding, "I already got it!" They caught one another's eyes and smiled. "Thanks though! You're really the best!"

"No problem," Rei offered quietly, pausing in his work as he watched his earnest partner work. His excitable face brought an easy, comfortable grin to Rei's face and before he realized it, the blond had finished.

"Huh? What're you looking at, Rei?" he addressed him, causing the attorney to pop out of his trance.

"Oh! Nothing, I just took a break," he defended, flustered that he was caught in the act of staring. Nagisa pouted, his eyebrows astoundingly mirroring the funny twitch that the brunet himself was known to have.

"Not fair!" the blond whined, reaching a hand into the grocery bag and beginning to restock his refrigerator. "Look at how much work I did while you just sat around and watched!" he joked, causing his date to jump up, all bothered by the accusation, and work twice as fast as he had before, grumbling lowly at the 'preposterous allegation' Nagisa had so offended him with.

They worked peacefully on the kitchen for the remainder of the hour and the bathroom certainly didn't take long - aside from organizing Nagisa's jewelry drawers and makeup, it was spic and span. They'd elected to leave the living room for last, and so what remained was the blond's horrifying bedroom.

"How on earth do you even sleep in here?" Rei mused aloud, gazing hopelessly at the base of the mountainous clothing pile on his bed. The floor couldn't even be seen for sweaters and boots and jeans alike. The open closet was empty, barren hangers twitching darkly from side-to-side while opposite from it, the curtains whipped in the half-open window.

"Funny you mention," Nagisa began to reply queasily, meeting the man's horrified blue eyes, "I usually don't. I mostly sleep on the couch. Just most of the time, though. Sometimes I sleep here. Occasionally."

"I can't believe you," he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in a gesture of surrender. "Your refrigerator, your kitchen, your bathroom - those were doable, but you've allowed this - this monstrosity to take over your room! It's forced you out of your own bed!"

"All right now, that's enough of your drama," Nagisa retorted testily, bending over by the door frame to begin picking up clothes. "Just knock everything onto the floor and then on the pillows, we'll stack pants, in the middle, we'll do skirts and dresses, and on either side of the end, we'll do blouses and cardigans. Got it?" Rei nodded determinedly, rolling up his falling sleeves, as they leaned down to sort through the clothing.

"Shouldn't we be washing these?" he asked aster a lapse of silence.

"I'll be the judge of what's dirty and what's not," he stated bravely, as though sorting between the trustworthy and liars in a battlefield.

And it was an epic struggle.

They spent nearly three and a half hours fighting their way through the horrifyingly dark jungle of fashionably chic clothes. All that littered the floor now were measly, weak corpses of long-forgotten accessories (Nagisa had wondered where that scarf went!). Rei halfheartedly suggested that while they were working so hard, they might as well deal with what was left, but, exhausted, the blond waved him off and they stumbled to the living room, collapsing upon the couch. After checking the time on the mantle, the writer rolled himself off of the couch and stretched.

"It's about time for a bit of tea, isn't it?" he commented, strolling tiredly to the stove and filling the kettle with water. He opened one of his cupboards and glanced through his selection. "Let's see... I've only got black and green. What would you like?"

"Black's fine," Rei replied, softly adding, "Thank you, Nagisa." The little blond smiled.

"It's not a problem."

They lapsed into a tired silence, shadows of the diamond panes falling past the kitchen and spreading out over the living room, scattering glittering gold jewels across the floor. Dust drowsily faded in and out of the yellowed sunset. Where he awaited the water's boil, Nagisa's hair was set an astounding rich flame, like a flickering beacon in an otherwise still painting, brushstrokes faded over time. His cloud-like, rosy eyes sought Rei. The attorney was completely still upon the couch, where he was bent over something - perhaps a book - and the only sign of life was the dust that fell away around him. The shadow of his fingers hesitated upon a page, quivering with a sort of question, as though they hovered just above a sepia moth's wing. Ivory light danced off his glasses and he blinked, offering the only movement that suggested he was not in an age-old photograph.

"Is this your father?" he murmured, fingers shyly brushing a crumbling, old memory. Nagisa stepped forth, into shadow, and his light faded. The book in Rei's hand was a photo album. He turned each page of the past with a gentle hand and a want of understanding and the photos, years old, were tinted golden with age. Nagisa returned to the brunet's side and crossed his legs behind him, nestling himself beside the man.

It was rather fitting that the picture the attorney had found captured what was perhaps one of the more profound moments of the blond's life. The polaroid contained a boy, at around thirteen years old, with an awkward grin displaying glistening braces and a shiny chin, and wide, bright eyes framed by a hoop of wavy yellow locks that could only be described as "2002". The flash had made him appear rather startled and distinctly uncomfortable. At his side was a salt-and peppered man, bent forward at the knees, smiling in a resigned fashion as he gripped his son's shoulders. He was dressed in a military uniform. The surface of the photo was quite odd, but the memory accompanying it still choked the boy as well as a large, dry pill. At last, in reply, Nagisa affirmed Rei's suspicions.

"Yeah. That's me he's got in his death grip." As though he'd received some sort of permission, the brunet lowered his fingers to brush the surface of the photo.

"You look so young," he whispered. "You can't've been more than twelve here, right?"

"Just turned thirteen, actually. It was taken in September of 2002." Rei's brows twitched in concentration and his eyes narrowed, as though a closer look would somehow discern everything that meant about his date's childhood, rather than just asking the boy himself. The writer took it upon himself to explain. "It was the day he was deployed to Afghanistan." He cast his eyes away from the picture and focused on everything else in the room - anything to keep him away from the memory. He found cinder-strewn logs in his fireplace, glowing chrome with the last light and proceeded: "He gave me a really nice gold necklace right before that was taken - I'm wearing it in the picture, you know. He shouldn't have bought it, he really couldn't afford it, but he did anyways. I still have it. Wear it all the time." When Rei again examined the picture, he noted reddening eyes, wide and glimmering with held-back tears, and a forced, painful smile. His cheeks and chin were wet.

"I see," he hummed sympathetically. He allowed Nagisa a moment and remarked, "Most of these pictures are just of you and your father. Why aren't your sisters in any of them? You mentioned that you had three. And your mother?" From across the room, a shrill whistle sounded, indicating a boil, and Nagisa rose, snorting with bitter laughter.

"My parents got divorced a long time ago." He hustled over to the kettle and removed the top, pouring a couple cups as the last of the orange glow gave way to grey. "Mum and Dad used to live close together, but Dad was always in the military so when he had to move to Japan, I went with him. Mum didn't even care." He poured the remainder of the scalding water down the drain without a moment's thought that they might need more later and tipped some sour lemon into both cups. "Then, after a few years, we came back to the U.K. and all of a sudden, the attacks in the U.S. happen and by the next year, he was off to Afghanistan. Then two years later, Mum gets remarried to a real piece of work, and give another two years, I run off to uni," he explained frantically, a sharp pain needling his throat, as he set the cups of tea down, allowing them to clatter against his coffee table gracelessly. "And just one year later -" But he cut himself off, folded his arms with a huff, and dumped the boiling black tea down his scorching throat, in hopes it might soothe his unshed tears.

"What?" Rei pressed gently, wrapping his fingers around his cup. "What happened?"

"Nothing," Nagisa mumbled, angry that he'd gone and spoken so much. "Just drop it." In the ashy fireplace, he could imagine the proud, gleaming flame. Surely it too was ashamed of what it had left behind, a shell of its former self. His father could not endure that humiliation in front of Nagisa, let alone anyone he loved, and so his son fought hard to spare him from it and Rei, taken aback at the boy's harsh tone, pulled his hand away from the photograph. With a quietly safe edge of humor, he replied:

"What, the tea you've made for me? I would never." And Nagisa gratefully clung to his arm, ignoring the echoes in his memory of 'don't go, Daddy' that sounded thunderously after the photo's flash.


	9. Almond

**A/N: **I wasn't listening to Spooky Scary Skeletons while I was writing this.

Drinking fun facts:  
* "Whisky" is actually what Americans call scotch, but the Scottish don't like it being called that, apparently. "Whiskey", what we know to be whiskey, of course, is Irish. Irish = ey, Scottish = y.  
* Liqueur is super, super sweet and isn't liquor, which refers to an alcoholic beverage (lih-COOR vs. LIH-ker). "Whisky liqueur" is very, very, VERY sweet scotch.  
* The kind my writing models is called Glayva and to me at least tasted like chocolate and butterscotch.

Here ends the lesson.

**Chapter Nine:** Almond

A hot, roasting aroma wafted mouth-wateringly through the Hazuki house, warmly splashing against the fogged windows like seafoam, and settling steamily in the five o'clock sunshine of October 31st. Sugar sparkled along the countertop, in the fine dips between tiles, and in its tray beside the windowsill, soft, molten butter lapped against the ridges of its container. The oven released an orange glow, though it was obstructed by the tray of gradually toasting pecans, glazed with a sweet sauce recipe that Nagisa had received many years ago. The young man himself was too preoccupied, however, to take note of the blissful autumn surroundings.

"Rei," he sighed into the phone tucked between his ear and neck, "everything's going fine. Of course, I haven't put anything off." He caught a whiff of the sweet, burnt smell and popped off of the couch. "Shit, they're burning," he muttered, and his partner caught it.

_"I told you not to procrastinate,"_ came the brunet's staticky voice from the wobbling phone. Nagisa rolled his eyes.

"And _I_ told _you _not to worry about it," was his scathingly sassy reply. Without allowing the lawyer to point anything else out about their joint preparations, he interjected, "See you later!" and effectively cut him off by hanging up. He dashed over to the oven and, without a second thought, shoved his hands in and grabbed at the pan. A most unwise idea, he was sure Rei would think. He dropped it like it was hot and whipped his stinging fingers away. "Fuck!" he howled, hopping over to the sink and flicking the cold water on. Instinctively, he withdrew at first, but forced them to stay under as the icy water faded from painful to soothing. Patting his hands dry, he forced himself away, slipped a pair of oven mitts on, and pulled out the roasted, if not slightly burnt, nuts from the oven, frowning down at them in an irritable manner. He left the rattled tray upon the unused stove to cool, cheap little jam jars sparkling emptily beside and waiting to be filled, while he checked on his drinks in the refrigerator.

By some stroke of genius, the blond had garnered the idea of looking up a recipe for Butterbeer online, a drink based off of the ever-famous Harry Potter world. Thinking it to be clever, he underwent a somewhat grueling process to make some of his own, with the help of cream-flavored pop, whipping cream, and several kinds of extract. It had been a little expensive and he'd _almost _wished Rei had been there to offer some help paying, but the little man couldn't kid himself - when putting on a party, he couldn't help but show off every aspect he could, from drink to dwelling.

His house had its share of festivity as well. He brought out his Christmas lights a little early, as they were fairly yellow in color anyhow, and strung them around the mantle and hallway. There were a couple pumpkins propped up between flowers outside, and little lanterns lit the flagstone walk that lead to his door. Why, Nagisa himself was a cute vision in his yellow and orange tulle skirt, popped-collar white shirt, and cheap black corset ensemble, complimented with a candy-corn colored witch's hat. It had been a simple, last minute idea of his, as most of his party had been. Beside his door was a plastic black cauldron filled with candy bars. He may have lived alone, but most people in his neighborhood owned their homes and had children and he wasn't one to deny kids some sweets on Halloween!

And as though they were in tune with his thoughts, a couple of kiddos came a-knocking at his door. He snatched up his cauldron happily, nuts entirely forgotten as aromatic smoke eased through his kitchen, and tossed open the door with gleeful abandon. Staring up to greet him was a little Harry Potter and a pumpkin the blond assumed was his little sister. The boy said "trick or treat" eagerly, but the younger one didn't quite seem to have the hang of it, and eyed the pumpkins on Nagisa's porch curiously. "Harry" shoved a bag in front of him, and the candy witch responded in kind by tossing a candy bar in his bag. He carefully gave the girl her own as well.

Not a few minutes after he waved them off, a knock on the door sounded once more, and he danced over to open it. He was greeted with a particularly rowdy, "Trick or treat!" and, alcohol in hand, Gou and Eva tripped into his house.

"You guys are early," he informed them critically, though he had a watery smile. Eva, who looked like she'd already had a bit to drink (and judging by the fact that only Gou's Mini Cooper was outside, planned on more), shrugged haughtily and joked,

"Be grateful we brought booze." While his friends made themselves at home, Nagisa took the drinks and set them on the counter before turning to pour cups of his less-than-masterfully-prepared Butterbeer and setting them out beside the wine, from Gou, and an absurdly large bottle of pricey whisky liqueur from Eva. As he was finalizing his preparations, he took the time to admire Gou's orange bubble skirt and poofy, capped-sleeved shirt in the same color with a green stem on a headband - a pumpkin costume.

"My brother's was worse this year," she'd griped. "He got invited to a costume party and wore one of those lame suits that make you look like you're being eaten by a shark, y'know? Talk about stupid." They turned to assess Eva, apparently not as into the spirit of things, who wore a stapled paper Wonder Woman crown. Nagisa and Gou turned to each other to share a grimace as she took an impressive swig of some whisky mixed with Butterbeer.

"At least my hair's down," she stated unenthusiastically before either had a chance to speak. They giggled appreciatively.

In fifteen minutes' time, Ms. Amakata and her fiancee, Goro Sasabe, a businessman specializing in marketing (a happy accident for the magazine, for when they met it had been young and struggling amid popular names such as Vogue and Elle), bringing with them cute hors d'oeuvres, and following soon after was Mitobe in a dragon-patterned yukata with a brand of sake that coincidentally was one of Nagisa's favorites. He grinned and waved at Nagisa before wandering over to a corner awkwardly where a tipsy Eva began making conversation, unaware that he only spoke Japanese.

"Don't worry!" Nagisa called out to him, speaking his native tongue, "She's a fun drunk, just nod and act like you know what she's saying!" He, however, turned to the door and eagerly awaited the arrival of Rei. His heart thumped against his bound-in-black chest, causing his ribs to turn sore. Within the office only Gou had caught a glimpse of him, but she hadn't had the chance to _speak _to him. He was certain beyond any doubt that his friends would adore him. The blond hoped he'd arrive soon - Rei was hesitant to accept the invitation, even when the blond promised he could bring a friend. Maybe he didn't have any?

Nagisa hardly had the time to think about it, however, as more and more people from the office flooded in, treats and alcohol mostly in hand, as Gou found his speakers and plugged in her iPod, fully stocked with Halloween music. He attempted to save a confused Mitobe a few times, but ended up getting pulled away to chat with Goro, then Ms. Amakata, then Michael from publishing, then a tipsy Eva herself, who had decided she was quite fond of Mitobe and had her arm in his, though he still seemed quite baffled. Every now and then, he took off to the door with his cauldron in hand, meeting young, costumed faces begging for sweets.

Finally, at 8:30 on the dot, precisely when the party was _scheduled _to begin, a firm knock that certainly hadn't come from the tiny fist of a child sounded over the festive din. The writer dashed to the door, leaving behind a winded Amy and Rachel, two fellow columnists, and tossed open the door with a bang. Just as he'd thought, it was Rei!

It was Rei dressed in a suit gray enough to rival the morning's sky. He raised an eyebrow. But of course, it was also Rei holding a bouquet with orange flowers, decorated with painted black sticks, and it was this that made him huff and smile.

"Am I, erm... late at all?" he asked, uncertainly glancing over the blond's downy head at the full house.

"You're right on time!" the writer replied enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around the tall brunet. He was beginning to think he wasn't going to come, but it was so like him to arrive exactly on time. He was just beginning to relax into Rei's arms when from behind the pair came a politely gentle cough - and Nagisa remembered that he'd let Rei invite someone. He leapt back from the lawyer, grabbing his hand instead and refocused his attention on the guest.

Immediately, the blond wondered how he hadn't noticed him straight away. He was several centimeters taller, broad-shouldered, and had a pretty pair of green eyes. He wore a white-button down, but the jeans he chose to accompany it gave him a considerably more casual look than Rei's. Finally, he had somewhat of a messy, bedheaded hairstyle in a lovely shade of brown. With his sweet smile, he was positively, adorably _handsome_.

"Sorry!" he apologized, his voice soft and his grin easy, "I just wanted to introduce myself." He reached out a hand to a dumbstruck Nagisa who barely remembered in time to grab it. Rei spoke next, reminded of his own manners.

"Nagisa, this is Makoto Tachibana - he works in the office next to mine. Makoto, this is Nagisa Hazuki," he continued, absurdly formal in his speech, "my -" And for just a moment, he paused, catching himself. It was just enough time to make the blond wonder just what exactly theywere to one another. He'd always been okay with casual relationships that ran their own courses, never quite garnering a label, but the thought of a break-up only caused him to cling to Rei's large hand tightly.

"Boyfriend," he supplied determinedly. It didn't matter if they hadn't talked about it - clearly, it was what the brunet had intended to say. Besides, they'd been dating since the beginning of September, for nearly two months now, and there hadn't been an inkling of a problem between the two of them.

"Right," he agreed quickly, giving Nagisa's left hand, the one he'd been holding, a thankful squeeze.

"It's nice to finally meet you," Makoto said, kindly refraining from mentioning the awkward pause. "Actually," he laughed handsomely, and Nagisa wondered what type of fairy tale prince he was dealing with exactly, and continued, "we've met before."

"We have?" he questioned, releasing Makoto's hand. He nodded, a gentle blush crawling onto the bridge of his nose.

"I accidentally called you after that meeting," he admitted with embarrassment as the trio walked into the house.

_ "You're_ the one that talked about whales?" Nagisa giggled and the tall man nodded. "Well, let me introduce Rei to some people so he can entertain himself and then you and I can chat a bit, okay? I'm interested in what you were talking about," he continued charismatically. "I'll just be a second." And mercilessly, he grabbed his introverted partner and tugged him to the thankfully sober Gou. "Gou! This is Rei, my boyfriend!" She rapidly downed a drink - maybe not so sober as he'd hoped - and stuck out her hand.

"Charmed!" she chirped happily over the sounds of "This is Halloween".

"Gou works for the magazine's blog," he informed the man, copying his style of introduction, "she does stuff like... social media and stuff, right?" The redhead waved him off.

"Close enough." Rei took her hand and gave it a properly firm shake.

"I'm happy to meet you. I work as a lawyer -"

"For murder cases and whatever, right? Nagisa never shuts up about how impressive you are." For a moment Rei was taken aback, but he cracked a wobbly smile, pleased with the attention and the blond grew hotter than his burnt almonds in the face.

"So we've reverted to Disney music, have we?" he commented haughtily, trying to find a dig at her in whatever way possible for a bit of playful revenge.

"Don't dis the classics," she stated simply as "Be Prepared" came on. Rei gave a chuckle as Nagisa rolled his eyes, too happy and eager to pursue the topic. He found the significantly drunk Eva and now incredibly bemused Mitobe in a corner.

"Eva!" he called out. She lifted a glass and, at last releasing her prey, trotted up to her friend.

"Who this?" she asked, straightening herself to her full height. In heels, she was almost as tall as the brunet. The fact that she could stand on them was stunning enough.

"This is my boyfr-" Nagisa began, but she held up a manicured hand instead.

"Nevermind, don't finish - I'm gettin' some wader, meet ya lader, kay? Kay." And she whirled away to sober herself up. Rei glanced at Nagisa with confusion.

"Well, that _was _Eva," he stated. "She's a photographer for the magazine, but on special occasions, she gets kind of... excitable. Don't worry though, she gets herself under control pretty quick. In the meantime, though, let me introduce you to Mitobe!" Though he spoke English, the black-haired man perked up at the sound of his name and when Nagisa gestured, he approached curiously. In Japanese, he told Mitobe, "This is Ryugazaki Rei - he's my boyfriend. And don't worry, he speaks Japanese. Rei, this is Mitobe Rinnosuke-san. He works in the formatting department, but he just moved here from Japan awhile ago." Softly, Mitobe bowed and said,

"It is nice to meet you, Ryugazaki-san." Rei mirrored him, bowing and replying,

"You as well, Mitobe-san." Nagisa clapped happily and reached for the flowers that still burdened Rei.

"Well, I'll go put these in a vase." He kissed Rei on the cheek and waved to Mitobe. "I'll leave you two in each others' care!" he announced with a happy-go-lucky turn. He pranced to the kitchen, leaving the awkward brunets behind, pouring water into a particularly tall cup (close enough to a vase, right?), and let the flowers rest beside a cup of nuts. The blond noted with pleasure that his home-made treats and drinks were fast disappearing. After a moment of admiring his work, he at last dashed back to Makoto Tachibana, who awkwardly shifted his feet side to side near the door. "Sorry I took so long!" he said, dancing up to his side. "I'm gonna make this quick - are you straight?" Taken aback, he glanced over to Rei, who chatted lightly with Mitobe in Japanese, and replied,

"Well, no, but erm - I don't think - I mean, you're with Rei -" Nagisa was confused and nodded lightly, eyes narrowing, before he understood exactly what the gentle man was trying to say.

"Oh _no, _no that's not what I meant at _all,_ it's just that you're just my friend Gou's type, but I guess if you're not straight, then forget about it - you're handsome and all, but you're definitely not the kind of guy I go after. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"I didn't mean to misunderstand!" he apologized, tangling a hand in his hair. "Shoot, I always mess up when I meet someone that Rei likes. I get nervous!" Nagisa laughed and proceeded,

"Well, since that's out of the way, what is it that you do exactly, again?" Makoto relaxed visibly, searching the counters and checking the labels of the copious amounts of alcohol. "Oh, the soda's not alcoholic. You probably have to drive, right?" The blond handed him a cup of his 'Butterbeer' and the taller man gave him a thankful smile.

"I'm an animal rights lawyer," he informed the writer, rubbing his neck in a rather silly manner. "A lot of people think it's not a really important thing, but..."

"I think that's really cool!" Nagisa cut in quickly. It explained why he asked about the whales, at least. Encouraged, the other man continued,

"I also do environmental law, too - I'm actually working on a big case right now! We're having trouble finding witnesses, though. Ones that have actually seen crimes happening in the past couple of years that are willing to come forward. It's a pity, too - this case is why I was transferred to London." The blond murmured his sympathies before inquiring curiously;

"Transferred? Where from?"

"Barcelona - I'm actually from Seville, though." That explained his well-tanned face, at least, but the columnist hadn't noticed an accent! As he continued, however, he picked up a lovely lilt in his deep, musical voice. "I was assigned to work on a case against SeaWorld and affiliated groups in Europe about their treatment of orca whales. It's been going on a few years now. I've been in London for that time. I'm glad I found a job so soon after graduating!" For a moment his green eyes softened even more so than they had been. "Rei's been a big help. He did extra research on his days off a lot - since animal law is very particular, it's likened to criminal law a lot, which is Rei's practice. But frankly, I've been worried about his workaholic tendencies!" he rambled peacefully. At mention of his concern, however, Nagisa perked up and, ready to ask if he could help, was cut off by the brunet's voice. "I'm really glad he met you, though - he's finally using his days off and his lunch breaks and sometimes leaves work early!" Makoto laughed. "I couldn't believe when he actually made me cancel our dinner meeting last month! He was so frantic, I've never seen anything like it!"

"He _made _you not go?" the blond interrupted incredulously. Rei had told him that 'his colleague had to cancel'.

"You didn't know?" Makoto asked with concern. "Maybe I shouldn't have said..."

"No, no!" Nagisa laughed, "He told me you cancelled! That's funny, the image of him all bothered like that - I wish I could have seen!"

"I think he was kind of desperate for a break without realizing it," Makoto said with a sympathetic grin. They both glanced at their subject, who had somehow managed to land himself between a more or less sober Eva and Mitobe, working as a translator. "I'm glad you met him when you did." Nagisa felt himself relax into an easy, sweet grin. He felt fortunate, holding the affections of such a well-loved and respected man.

"I am too," he agreed contently. "He's been so great." He was certainly the diligent type, it seemed, even now translating for a half-drunk woman and an almost silent man. "But God, what a dork. I hope you'll excuse me - he needs some rescuing. You should go talk to Gou over there, though. See her, with the red hair? She's a friend of mine. Careful, though, you're her type. Break it to her early on." And so, the host dashed off once more to valiantly save his hard-working boyfriend. Not before dropping by his restroom to grab a little something, though...

"Tell him he's wearing a great costume, by the way, it looks really authentic," Eva was saying to the lawyer as he approached. Rei translated and then in English, informed her,

"He says _it's_ real. He didn't know what to wear to the party, so he wore this."

"And speaking of costumes," the blond stepped in, resting his hands on Rei's high shoulders, "yours is _totally _lame. No way you're gonna be in my house without having a little fun." And from behind him he plucked out some devil horns on a headband that had originally come with his corset, and shoved them onto Rei's short, inky hair.

_"Nagisa!"_ he protested, a red blush matching the crimson horns quite well spreading all over his face. "These are completely ridiculous!" He attempted to take them off, but with a playful grab at his wrists, the blond prevented him from it.

"Nu-uh, I don't think so! You wanna stay, you have to wear them!" He tossed his arms around Rei's neck and though his hands were now free, his wrapped them around his boyfriend's waist.

"I don't think you'd kick me out, but I'll go along with it," he informed him with a scolding tone.

"Well, now that I've got you back, I have some more people for you to talk with, come on!" He tugged Rei away, though the other man stuttered in protest, gesturing to the pair behind them. "They'll be _fine,"_ Nagisa stated.

"All right, but let me have a breather first, before you drag me off to talk to more people. I'm not nearly as social as you." He flicked his wrist away from the blond's grip and leaned against the wall in the hallway, taking a deep breath. He seemed slightly irritable, so he took one of Rei's hands in both of his own, rubbing it with his thumb.

"Sorry," he said sincerely, kissing the top of his hand.

"It's fine. I wouldn't want to ruin your party." Nagisa leaned against the wall opposite of him.

"No way! You made it a hundred times better!" Rei flashed him a grateful smile and for a minute, they sat in the relative quiet, excusing the hum of chatter, the gentle clink of glasses, and a Disney villain song playing in the background.

"So," the brunet began peacefully, "boyfriend?" Sensing the reference to the earlier introduction to Makoto, Nagisa grinned bashfully.

"That kind of looked like what you wanted to say. I don't know, though - do you _want _to be that committed? I'm okay without a label." Rei shrugged.

"I prefer to know where I'm heading," he told Nagisa in his usual systematic tone. "To be honest, I'd been wanting to ask about it for a while now, but I guess I was worried that you wouldn't feel the same." They smiled at one another.

"I don't really plan on letting you go any time soon." Rei flashed him a grin and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Neither do I." After a heartbeat more of comfortable quiet, the brunet proceeded, "So you and Makoto got along, did you?" The blond nodded enthusiastically.

"I like him! He's kind of like, too handsome to be true though, to be honest." Rei rolled his eyes.

"I was worried you'd think that. Forgive me if I felt a little jealousy." The writer pushed himself off of the wall and directly into the brunet's arms, kissing him somewhat sloppily on the mouth.

"Nah, you're much more my type. I feel sorry for Gou, though, I saw her checking him out. You haven't got any straight friends that look like that, do you?" Rei gave a wry grin.

"Afraid not. I'll ask my brother if anyone on the basketball team is interested." They laughed together, emerging from the corner arm-in-arm. They chatted happily for a moment until -

"Oh you've got to be kidding me, Gou," Nagisa moaned as lo and behold some song he didn't know evolved into 'Spooky Scary Skeletons'. The redhead, who'd been wrapped in pleasant conversation with Makoto, whipped around sassily, drink in hand, and dramatically sighed,

"Oh, my poor Nagisa - it's _vintage,"_ came her voice through the crowd. She placed her drink on a nearby table and, too quietly for the writer to hear from his distance, asked something of Makoto. He gave his handsome chuckle and took her kindly by the waist in the standard position for a dance. Beside him, Rei murmured,

"She's right, you know. The original was made in 1929." He gave what was likely his most impressive pout yet and released his boyfriend, one hand on either of his hips now, proud, and mocking an irritated expression.

"You're taking _her _side now?" he protested in a whine, hoping to get some sort of placating gesture from the tall brunet. In truth, Nagisa thought her music choices to be fun, but he was never one to pass up the opportunity for a tease.

"Now, now," Rei muttered in an attempt to calm him, "don't be childish about it." He took the young man up gradually in his arms, holding him as Makoto did Gou, in the standard ballroom position. "You see, it actually makes quite the fun dance, and what's a get together without one of those?" The blond took liberty enough to snuggle considerably closer than the nearby platonic couple and hummed his agreement. Around them a few others joined - Ms. Amakata with Goro, Eva with Mitobe, and a handful of others - with varying degrees of seriousness. The brunet held him well, keeping the dance nothing short of proper, but his boyfriend rolled his shoulders and spun to the xylophone. It was a short dance, anyhow; more for fun than anything of any consequence. Rei begrudgingly allowed himself to have a little fun - maybe it was the alcohol; the blond thought he'd seen at least one drink go down the hatch. After the few minutes spent dancing, the writer's boss approached, her fiancee having gone off to talk with a couple other columnists.

"You must be Nagisa's new beau," she began, holding a poised hand out for a shake. The lawyer accepted it gladly, Nagisa swinging over to his side.

"That I am. My name is Rei Ryugazaki," he introduced himself, his voice crisp and kind. He took her hand.

"I'm Miho Amakata. Do take of him, he does his best work when he's happy." And with a mutual smile and wave, they parted, the older woman grabbing ahold of her fiancee before saying a goodbye to her employee. Booze began to run low, cabs were called, and trick-or-treaters were now few and far between. Gradually, the party began to dissipate, Gou and a significantly drunken Eva being the last pair to leave - save for Rei and Makoto. The three of them sat and, for a half hour, shared a drink and an easy chat, ending when Makoto yawned and announced that he had a big day of work to follow. His colleague and newfound friend both accompanied him to door and, like a gentleman, he disappeared 'round the corner to 'bring the car from around the block', leaving the pair with a few moments alone. The clock struck 11 inside and the lovers stood under the doorframe.

"Thank you for inviting me," Rei began quietly, keeping a tight hold on his boyfriend's hand. "I really enjoyed myself - as did Makoto, I'm sure." Sympathetically, his hand brushed golden bangs away from Nagisa's face. "I'm sorry to leave so soon." The writer, sensing his chance, wrapped either arm around Rei's neck in thanks. The brunet patted his head and used a free hand to place upon the small of his back. They shared a long kiss and when they broke apart, the blond whispered in his ear:

"Makoto drove you, right? You're welcome to stay, you know, we could, ah, have another drink, just us two." The attorney leaned away slightly, looking the smaller man in the eye through his red-framed glasses. His navy-as-the-sky eyes analyzed Nagisa's so seriously that he found his heart beating deep and achingly within his chest and his breath hitched unevenly.

Rei stepped away. "No... No, I don't believe I can. Not now." And when Makoto brought the car around, the brunet got in it and they drove away together.

Nagisa was irate. The following days, whenever he though of the incident, his cheeks prickled hotly with crimson humiliation while his contrasting heart grew cold and cringed like a brown, fallen leaf. He'd been as clear as a cloudless winter day when he spoke and his newly dubbed boyfriend hadn't had any justification for rejecting him like that. He'd even worn his cutest undies that night, suffering through itches all through the night. It as clear to him at least - though he'd never admit it - that he was channeling all of his embarrassment and anxiety about the rejection into misconstrued anger toward the one who caused him hard. While the blond had been left with plenty of alcohol, his supply was fast dwindling due to the incident. His friends seemed uncertain as well. While the problem didn't seem to be affecting his work life this time, they urged him to talk about it with Rei for the sake of his emotional well-being. Every time he brought it up they would do this and, soon growing tired of hearing the sensible action to take, he began eating lunch with Mitobe instead. They covered only small talk together and though it piqued Nagisa's interest when he asked about Eva, the shallow conversation did nothing to distract his self-isolated heart.

All the while, he'd been spending less and less time with Rei, inventing excuses for not meeting on weekends, jogging later in the day, and remaining quiet - if not slightly rushed - while they had coffee and finished crosswords together. The blond noticed with great annoyance that this seemed to suit the eternally busy attorney anyhow. He certainly didn't make any move to start a conversation, seeming to prefer sitting there in the relative silence, completely content to ignore his huffy boyfriend. When they did speak, it was never about themselves, but about their friends. He made it a point to discuss that handsome and gentle Makoto, and it gratified him when the brunet's feathers were clearly ruffled by jealousy. He could endure that discomfort, as the writer coped with his humiliation in kind. Apparently, a little sympathy was too much to ask for, even from his father.

"Princess," the colonel started uneasily, "hasn't it been nearly two weeks since that incident?" The blond was sitting in a chair beside the bed within his room, watching the November rain patter along the windows. His shoulders sagged dead and limply, and his rosy eyes were shadowed by lifeless purple circles underneath them. His temple throbbed like an eternal hangover and Ken Hazuki guessed that, judging from the vague smear of eyeliner and sparkle of mascara on his cheek, it had been a mixture of tears and no sleep more than alcohol. His throat tightened in sympathy. So the phrase went: love is a battlefield.

"So?" he answered dully, his eyebrows creasing and his chin dimpling slightly. "It's _him _that isn't talking to me. It's not like I'm avoiding him." Lie. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his father give him a pitying glance.

"Please speak with him," his father requested softly, rolling his chair beside Nagisa and placing a hand on his shoulder. He ignored it in favor of staring at the dying flowers still upon his sill. The writer had been too stressed to remember about watering them and now even the one signed in his name was wilting. Ken removed his hand.

"I ought to water those," he rumbled absently. "Pass them over?" The blond complied easily, handing over one pot at a time until the elderly man had finished the chore. His father regarded him cautiously, not wanting to set him off or cause him to leave, but this loneliness he displayed was uncharacteristic and worrisome. "You know, your mother and I used to fight all the time," he began, assessing Nagisa's reaction. The blond tilted his head slightly towards his father, trying to appear disinterested, but it didn't quite work. "I remember in the early years of our marriage, she only wanted one kid, but I wanted at least three! We compromised on two, but our second turned out to be twins! What a surprise. And then," he spun to face Nagisa taking his soft cheek and pinching it. "And then, you came along. Kate compromised then, too - she knew how much I'd wanted a little boy." His voice faded and with the next heartbeat, the blond recalled something he thought he would have forgotten a long, long time ago.

Once, when he was no older than three or four, his father took him shopping for a new toy. They were holding hands and as Ken picked up a toy bat and ball, Nagisa, with all the might in his little body, reached to the very tip of his fingers for the pink baby doll on the shelf. His father faced him, loosening his hold, and the little boy dashed over and picked it up.

"Is that what you want?" his father had asked, his voice fading wistfully like something lost. The boy glanced up and shyly nodded, but all the same those grabby, chubby fingers began to replace it. He didn't know it then, but when he looked into his father's face next, he witnessed a deliberate decision. As unconditional as the sun shines at dawn, the man smiled, took up the frilly doll and stated simply, "Then that's the one we'll get."

Ken's gentle chuckle pulled him away from the memory and he placed a calloused, war-torn hand upon Nagisa's plump cheek. The rough fingers brushed against his eyelashes and absently, he realized he must have been crying. "And you're the best son I could have asked for," he stated simply. The blond looked into his father's eyes, searching for something, but what he found was that same easy smile from that memory so long ago. Whatever he looked for, he was glad not to have found it. "You still have plenty to learn, though. I made the mistake of ignoring a problem like that, thinking it would just disappear, and look where I am now. I'll be damned before I see my son break his heart the same way." Nagisa sniffled slightly and said to his father half-heartedly:

"Thanks for listening. And being, you know, concerned and all." He huffed and lied, "I'll try to work it out. But I gotta go now." He leaned over the colonel's chair, kissed his forehead, and left him looking after his son with worry.

As he stepped out of the building, he put his hood up, and, as a chilly wind blew, thanked his lucky stars that he thought to buy some jogging _pants _while he'd been out last week. He checked his watch - it read eleven in the morning - and, as he pushed off of the front step and began a brisk jog, hoped he wouldn't run into Rei. He seemed like an early riser, anyways. Not that _he _knew, of course, he remarked bitterly.

He was lucky. The rain pelted his jacket noisily, cold, thin drops slapped his face, but he did not run into his boyfriend. He stopped on the bridge, recalling that the brunet had been so fond of it, and glanced down into the turbulent, swelling water. Its color was murky and dark, its movements, rapid. So much for a reflection of calm thoughts. Nagisa spurned it, running on and stubbornly wishing that Rei was feeling the same as the creek looked. The more he thought of it, the harder he slammed his aching feet onto the ground, the anger spurring him forward through the park until at last he came to the tree he liked so much. Seeing it just made him think of the damned attorney and that day they made out in its now-naked branches, but all the same he stopped at the bench in front of it and stretched his sore, pained leg muscles.

Nagisa thought he was alone, but as the rain eased up, he could hear the soft kiss of feet upon the damp ground. He dared not look up lest it be the man he was dreading, and focused instead on really stretching those thighs as he bent over them, one leg on the bench. The pose was attractive and just to spite him, he made it deliberately moreso, arching his back downward at the same time. The steps continued and did not stop until they were directly behind him. The blond bit his lip, sagging downward in a resigned fashion and waited for him to speak. The body behind his bent over until its lips were at his ear and he could feel the warmth upon his wet back.

"Nice ass," whispered the distinctly American, sharply disinterested voice of his university roommate, Haruka Nanase. The blond flew up like a bird, hitting the other man's torso in the process, and spun like a dancer into Haruka's arms. His nails dug deeply into his cotton hoodie and he buried his raining eyes into his chest. Startled by the passionate reaction, the black-haired boy did nothing at first, surprise only registering as the blink of an almond eye, but ever so gradually patted his head, then his back, and then loosely wrapped himself around Nagisa, burying his face in the crook of his neck. He had no way of knowing that he'd come just in time to comfort the lonesome blond, but he was glad he managed it somehow. The writer did not let go, preferring to quietly choke and snot on the American's clothes instead. That was so until an uncomfortable, uncertain voice rang out behind the pair.

"Erm, Nagisa? What - what are you doing?"

It was Rei.


	10. Americano

**A/N: **Sorry this one's so short in comparison with many of the others. It's about 500 words short of the average length. I think I've gotten a solid start on chapter 11 though, so if all goes well, you won't have long to wait there. Also I thought I might as well note something about the whole British thing. In the beginning, Rei said that he enjoyed the way Nagisa spoke - this is because Nagisa's speech has a different accent - think like a blend of Scottish and English. Or, if you've seen Downton Abbey, the way the maids (particularly Daisy, Anna, or Mrs. Hughes) sound when they speak. They're all Yorkshire natives as well. Rei has the typical British-London accent. Also! Additional information as to why Haru is American - it was actually a bit of a joke with myself, 'cause he has this whole obsession with being 'free', I thought it'd be funny having him be American and all.

**Chapter Ten:** Americano

Nagisa cautiously stepped away from Haruka's warm, safe embrace and faced Rei head-on, raising his hands in a placating brunet looked wounded, like a festering cut had turned green and sticky with infection and were it not for the slightly red eyes, the blond would have thought that to be rain upon his cheek. Sensing the tense mood, the foreigner took a step back, giving his friend an encouraging pat onward.

"Rei, um, this really wasn't what it looked like," Nagisa began, uncharacteristically awkward. The man crossed an arm defensively across his stomach, grabbing onto his sleeve. "This is Haruka," he continued into the strangely silent park. The rain had ceased, the park was empty, and somehow in the midst of the city, no cars seemed to pass. "He's my old roommate from uni. You know, the one I've been telling you about - the tree and the nuts and all..." His voice trailed off like a gradient, lost in the mist. Visibly, the brunet forced himself to relax, dropping his arm and approaching gradually. He took his time regaining his composure, straightened himself, and offered his hand.

"I do apologize for the misunderstanding. I'm Nagisa's _boyfriend, _Rei Ryugazaki," he introduced himself, taking special care to wedge himself slightly closer to the blond than was necessary. For a long while, nobody moved. The grey of the day surrounded the other man grimly as he evaluated Rei's possessive posture and forced grin. The air around them became awkwardly still and stale. Only when the attorney began to put his hand down did Nagisa's friend take it up limply.

"Haruka Nanase," he deadpanned, light blue eyes boring through the misty air. He held a disinterested look about him, in the way all Americans did, somehow casual despite the regal air. When they had first met while unpacking in the dorm, Nagisa was reminded of a Siamese cat toying with a fish, two glittering indigo irises focusing sharply upon its prey in the water, but never once making a move. It was as alluring then as it was in this moment.

"Well!" Nagisa's hands clapped like thunder and he recalled that he was mad at Rei. "It's been awhile since I've seen Haru and we were just heading out for coffee. I hope you don't mind, but I'm sure you two can talk more another time," he prompted his boyfriend, awaiting his departure.

"I actually was rather hoping that... er, well, that we could talk." Nagisa looked into his eyes - this guy was so useless at taking a hint - and gave him a rather pitying look and a slight shake of his head.

"Rei, not now," he muttered, slightly exasperated, but feeling rather blue in his heart.

"Oh," he mumbled, his voice a bit higher than usual. He gave a sad wave. "Well, I - I guess I'll... talk to you later, then. Goodbye. Have a good time." He turned the way he came and jogged off, quite faster than usual. Strange. Nagisa was used to seeing him pace himself. Haruka raised an eyebrow, glanced pointedly at his friend, and was met with a groan.

"Don't look at me like that," he snapped, beckoning the man to walk in the opposite direction with him. "Let's just go." He complied silently, eyes pinned upon the blond, who took the cue to spill his entire story of the past several years as they wandered together in an unknown direction.

Haruka left the university the year after General Ken Hazuki returned from the war, paralyzed from the waist down after shrapnel from a land mine pierced his spine, petrified by haunting nightmares and overwhelming anxiety. At first, Nagisa spent his last year living with his father, using his pension to help pay rent and using odds and ends for utilities. Often, the elderly man would awake screeching, reaching for something, utterly vulnerable and naked without the deadly extension of his arm. The boy comforted him frequently in the middle of the night, but the episodes took its toll on his studies, and his father knew. When first he was offered the internship with _Elite, _the general knew that he must take his leave for the sake of his suffering son, and took up residency in a retirement home.

Naturally, he didn't last long. After two months, Nagisa was notified that his father would have to be transferred to a different facility due to his disruptive behavior. He was diagnosed with PTSD and transferred to St. Lucy's where four years later, he still resided. With the help of doctors, medication, and therapy, his recovery was steady - as were the painful expenses. The woman he interned for - Miho Amakata - took pity on him and hired him as an assistant, a position that occupied him for a number of years.

Between university expenses, his father's medical bills, and his own cost of living, Nagisa was trapped in what soon could have become crippling debt, but dodged it with his graduation, thankfully on track due to his desperate work. It was around this time that he met Jamie Hastings and out of the spring of infatuation began one of his few long-term relationships. Like father, like son, so the saying went, and after moving in together, the relationship began to crumble.

Nagisa spent many nights away without presenting any logical reason to his beau - he found at this point that he simply couldn't humiliate the proud man he called father by speaking of his injuries and mental trouble and so, he kept his visits a secret. He had truly loved Jamie, and in retrospect he knew the man didn't deserve such treatment, and so when the time came that he was fed up and left, the blond was unsurprised and despite the grey of winter becoming spring's painted lady, he found himself unable to begin afresh as regret haunted his conscience.

Here and there over the summer, he struck up several flings, but found few fulfilling and so focused on his work with the magazine. Eva was long gone, not scheduled to return until later that fall and so he and Gou grew close through many pity-parties involving far too much wine to be healthy. Time passed naturally, but the summer days were dull and lonesome with the ache of routine. He wondered if he didn't need therapy as well during this time, but come autumn he received his promotion, along with a raise, and met Rei in its earlier months. Things had bloomed beautifully between the lawyer and the columnist until the Halloween party not two weeks back, during which his advances were rejected and he failed to understand _why_.

"You're joking," Haruka stated, seating himself at a table across from his friend, hand wrapped around a steaming cup of black coffee. He and Nagisa sat across one another in a cafe along a busy road, watching as cars split puddles like seas as they sped by, the rain sadly drizzling the window panes. The blond had just finished his tale as they'd approached a coffee shop (not just any, he'd realized bitterly, for this was the one in which he'd met Rei in the first place) and, as the rain worsened, they'd ducked in together for some shelter. Nagisa raised his head up off the wooden table and sent a pout to the American.

"What on earth makes you think I'm kidding about this?" he demanded, tangling his wet hands into his sharp, golden locks. Haruka continued as if he hadn't heard.

"This is about sex. That tense, depressing conversation was about sex." His incredulous blue eyes seared through the blond's weak shelter of his folded arms.

"Don't say that so loud!" he complained. "And _essentially, _yes, but it's more than -"

"No, not '_essentially'_. That's literally it." Haruka raised an eyebrow and the unhappy Yorkshire native sighed dramatically. The brunet clearly disapproved, but it wasn't because he was prudish (after living with him for two years, Nagisa would certainly know). As he placed a snow-white hand upon his friend's leaning shoulder in a silent gesture of comfort, he knew that what displeased him most was that the columnist was in fact making life difficult for _himself. _He was an extrovert; he knew how to communicate. He hadn't any excuse for making both his and Rei's lives harder than they need be. He was well aware of what needed to happen if he wanted to keep his young relationship afloat, but not desiring to think upon it, he shook it off and said curiously to Haruka:

"How have your few years been? You dropped out of uni and went back to America, but you didn't keep in touch." The brunet shrugged, but as a writer, the little blond was persistent. "What have you been doing? Did you get a job without a uni degree?" he pried.

"Went back to Mohawk for a bit," he admitted after a moment. "Mom and Dad wanted help on the orchard." After a few years of living together, Nagisa had garnered some information about his home life. Haruka was born to a Native American mother and a Japanese father that had been a first-generation immigrant. His father, he was aware, had been sent to New York city for work, but discovered his passion in the countryside and environment. During a vacation to the ever-so-small town of Mohawk, he fell in love, got married, and began a local pecan and almond business. Haruka was their only son. Though born in early summer, they had chosen the kanji "haru", meaning spring, and "ka" for flower. They'd forgotten that when combined, the two characters usually meant "distant". Nagisa supposed that became a self-fulfilling prophecy. With that in mind, the blond humorously pursued.

"You never stay in one place too long. What about after?" Haruka furrowed his brow, coming off as slightly annoyed, but continued nonetheless after a short sip of coffee.

"Took some biking trips through the U.S. Found some natural hot springs. Swam." He'd been on the university's swimming team, but Nagisa knew the man hadn't been very fond of structure. Hearing about his friend's trip didn't surprise him much, for he was very keen on nature.

"Did you work at all?" the columnist interrogated, leaning toward his friend with interest. It was hard to get the man talking, but Haruka was truly interesting once he did. He was taken aback, however, when he snorted noisily, cast a powerful glare out the window, and pressed his lips into a thin, irritated line. The response was oddly passionate for the apathetic man and immediately, he became concerned. "What?" he asked hurriedly. "What happened?"

"Yeah, I got a job," he stated bitterly, slamming his coffee down on the table. His eyes were clear and angry, like a sharp, blue flame. "I worked at SeaWorld in Florida for a year." Remembering his conversation with Makoto, Nagisa felt his interest being piqued. For once, he did not have to prompt his stoic friend to continue. "They completely mistreat their animals. I worked with the orcas and dolphins while I was there - did some swimming and stuff. I just - I can't explain it but it made me so _angry!_" He was shocked at the tone of obvious frustration for he'd never known his former roommate to react in such a manner. Upon the table, his hands were cringing into fists, nearly trembling with rage, and his jaw locked shut. Nagisa could hear his teeth grinding against one another. He set his problem with Rei aside and, now hopeful despite this chill, and said determinedly,

"I think I can help you."

When Nagisa and Haruka arrived at the former's house, one Makoto Tachibana was already awaiting them at the porch. He certainly did come running at the mention of a witness for his case. The pair jogged up through the rain to greet him.

"Sorry we're late!" Nagisa gasped, unlocking the door and ushering his friends inside.

"Don't be," Makoto urged, sliding out of his damp blazer. Nagisa automatically took it and hung it up beside the door. He helped Haruka out of his and placed his own to dry. The blond then hustled back to the awkward pair of guests and introduced them with as much grace as he could muster in this situation.

"Makoto, this is Haruka Nanase, my old roommate from university. He worked for SeaWorld this past year and recently quit. Haru," he turned to his friend, "this is Makoto Tachibana. He's an environmental and animal lawyer that's currently working on a case against SeaWorld." He clapped his hands together pleasantly, stood straight, and left the pair at the couch. "You two have fun chatting now, I'll go put on some water for tea." Before either really had a chance to protest, he was off. Nagisa set the kettle up for a boil and, reading the atmosphere and figuring that the situation was a confidential one, scurried off to his bedroom to change.

For once in his life, he felt that he didn't really have the energy to invest in looking nice. He tossed on a tank, some dry jeans, and his favorite university pull-over before collapsing flat upon the bed. Through his closed door, he could make out the indistinct muffle of voices and was faintly surprised when here and there, Makoto's handsome laughter dotted the conversation, accompanied pleasantly by the breathless huffs of Haruka's. Absently, he noted that despite the business of law, the unlikely pair seemed to be getting along well. To think a free spirit and a straight-laced lawyer could go so well together... He placed a hand over his numbed eyes as the rain tapping the glass blurred with the voices and the dark day faded behind his wet lashes.

Faintly through the deep veil of sleep, a warm body pressed up against his, and he was taken up into someone's arms. Through the disorienting din of light peering through a crack in the room, he caught the blot of inky hair and tender blue eyes, and was that perhaps a grey suit...?

"It's fine, you can go," came a faded, dim voice and the blonde loosely clung to the soft fabric of the other man's shirt. "I'll look after him," he insisted. From elsewhere came the sound of assent and the body put him down properly in the center of the bed, protected from the cold by a blanket.

"Rei, dun go..." Nagisa murmured, half-asleep and desperately reaching for those long, pale fingers that left him behind. A long, sympathetic silence followed his declaration, and no one replied. He rolled over and fell unconscious almost immediately, his mind vanishing into a black water that would leave him barely remembering the exchange.

He awoke in a dream, wearing a sleeveless grey ballgown, and running along a path of sepia squares. A huge, black pen was chasing him along 69 down and he could barely keep the frills from the violent point. Salty, cold tears of water flicked at him from stone fountains swirling with muddy whirlpools on either side of him, churning with malleable, blond leaves. He was terribly frightened, but he kept sprinting straight as an arrow, trusting that it would lead him to safety, but he led himself to an intersection, leaving him with the choice to go left, right, or dead on as he had been. At the end of the crossroads before him stood Rei and try as he might to call out, Nagisa could not speak. Behind him echoed the thud of the pen and he tripped forward, running to his beau. As he passed the man on the right, the brunet turned left in the opposite direction to glance behind him and Nagisa despaired with the knowledge that if only he'd waited a moment longer, Rei would have met him there halfway. His path became blurred by an ashy city swirled with saline tears and alone, Nagisa fell down into the colorless grey.

The blond awoke halfway through the next morning, having slept more than 14 hours with a distinct sense of guilt surrounding him. He'd been so stupid to overreact as he had, so soon after the promise of commitment and, recalling the the instinct he'd had to hold Rei tighter at the thought of a split, realized that this was no proper way to start a long-term relationship.

He pushed himself out of bed, still wearing his jeans from the previous day, accompanied by his university pull-over sweater. Nagisa sighed; the nostalgia made him lonelier than ever. He didn't bother changing as he abandoned his cold bed and shuffled down the hall and into the kitchen, completely dazed.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," greeted the emotionless voice of Haruka. Nagisa's heart swelled with tender hurt for some reason he didn't recognize and the cold blue eyes softened with unmistakable empathy. He'd helped himself to some coffee, Nagisa saw, and after a few sips began conversationally, "You called me Rei last night." As the blond collapsed into the chair across from his, he rose to the kitchen, pouring the remainder for his friend. The poor writer had collapsed in on himself, elbows upon the table, fingers tangled in his dull, yellowed hair.

"I'm going out," he muttered thickly, tears of disappointment audible in his tight throat.

Nagisa left without even having changed into his jogging clothes; he hadn't the energy to do anything other than trudge the darkened, wet streets, dragging his feet along the pavement. He'd even committed what he considered a cardinal sin of fashion - sneakers and jeans - but he couldn't bring himself to care. He just hoped that there was a way to rectify the situation and he prayed that somehow, somewhere, he'd run into Rei again. Any sort of coincidence would do, just as they'd had in the beginning. He'd wait all day in the rain if he had to - he only wanted to apologize to Rei and go back to the love he'd felt before. He was sick of this conflict and if he had to face his demons head on, he would force his way through it, hard as it may be. He would wait for the brunet at the crossroads until he was good and ready to turn around and meet him there, so that they may proceed together.

Naturally, he elected to go where he'd last seen Rei, and found himself picking up speed as the thought entered his mind that he might miss his boyfriend's run around the park. He arrived panting at the bench beneath the naked oak, breathless and anxious as he took a seat upon the cold metal.

Nagisa waited for more than an hour but Rei never did show up. The more time that passed, the heavier his shoulders felt, and the farther down he leaned into himself until, in a mirror image of how he'd looked earlier, the blond fell into his own arms. He had been sitting like that for more than 15 minutes before the burning, odd stares forced him to pick up and leave. Ever lost, he wandered the park with blurry, glittering lashes, until an odd thought struck him like thunder. Perhaps he'd be one to hide under the all-encompassing branches of the tree, but Rei... He was another matter. Energy renewed by desperation, Nagisa turned tail and ran not towards the exit that led to his home, but veering off to the left to a painted bridge over a swirl of dark water.

Just as he'd assumed, the broken man leaned over the railing, handsome face obscured by his hands, not unlike Nagisa had been only a few minutes before. He slowed to a walk and, tentative as a butterfly, approached his partner. Unable to resist, the blond wrapped his arms around Rei's strong torso, burrowing his shameful face into the back of his coat instead of announcing his presence. He felt the attorney start out of his trance and for a minute, everything was still as the man decided whether or not to push him away. The writer's aching heart beat like a drum and, feeling this, the brunet covered Nagisa's hands with his own, rubbing the backs with his thumb.

"I'm so, so sorry, Rei," he choked out, tightening his grip as his chin dimpled with oncoming tears.

"Oh please don't cry, Nagisa," he replied breathlessly, moving his hands away and turning to face the smaller man. "I don't think I could stand seeing it," he confessed, pulling him into a proper embrace.

"But it's all my _fault," _he whined into Rei's coat, a cold trail of snot dripping onto the man's shirt. The attorney didn't even seem to mind how disgusting he was. He felt as though two stones were grinding against each other in his throat, but he forced himself to speak despite it. "I mean, like, sex is _important _to me and all, but we didn't even talk about it, so I shouldn't have expected any different. And it's just that - we had just started and I really, _really _don't want you to leave me!" he cried into Rei's chest, clinging to him for all that he was worth - which at this point, he assumed was next to nothing. "And I totally made a fool of myself, this is _no _way to start a long-term relationship and it's just like as soon as I say I want to be committed, I _completely _fuck it up by pushing you away! And to me, being a boyfriend, it like means that we work to fix this kind of thing, not just ignore it like I've been doing."

"Nagisa, darling, please calm down," Rei soothed, rocking him gently from one side to another. "It's all right, I've no intention to leave you. We'll fix this, I promise." The small blond hiccupped against his shirt, at last pulling away. The attorney wiped off his tears, gazing gently into his eyes. There was no revulsion at his puffy, tear-strewn face, at his horrible outfit, or his two-day old makeup, just deep concern and a sort of resolve behind it. He allowed himself a moment of admiry, but the lawyer straightened himself squeezed Nagisa's hand reassuringly, and efficiently stated, "Well, there's no time like the present. We ought to talk about it. You, erm... you said something about sex?" He nodded desperately, thankful for a starting point and ever-glad that his boyfriend was the type to get things done, unlike himself.

"You remember the Halloween party? How I was coming onto you? It was just that when you rejected me, I was so embarrassed and I was worried that you didn't find me - well, _sexy_. Or hot. That you didn't _want _me like I want you. I just let my wounded ego get in the way and I started talking less and less to you and you seemed like you _liked _it that way, with me being quiet and I just channeled all my humiliation into being angry at you," he confessed, ashamed of his petulant actions, and feeling younger than ever he had before in Rei's presence. He was so immature, it was a wonder someone as together as the brunet even liked him. Said man sighed, rubbing his hand between Nagisa's shoulder blades, and replied,

"I honestly feel like a prize idiot, hearing that. I _knew _something was wrong, but I just didn't ask about it. I thought you wanted to be left alone because that's what I like. I was treating you like me, but you aren't like me at all, and that's why I lo - like you." Though Nagisa felt his heart flush, he didn't pursue the correction, perhaps out of consideration for Rei. He was well aware of what he almost said, but the blond was aware that he didn't really act on his emotions immediately and he'd promised himself that he'd wait for Rei. His first instinct may have been disappointment, he couldn't help but feel a wave of relief. He honestly wasn't sure what he'd say back if he'd received a confession.

"Anyways," Nagisa continued, letting the hiccup in speech pass, "what do you think about sex? I get a little... hot and bothered around you. Do you even find me _attractive?" _he prodded, looking earnestly into Rei's eyes. The man colored rose, glancing away and muttering,

"Of course I do, you're beautiful. It's just -" and he cut himself off. Nagisa opened his mouth slightly, leaning in with a curious, begging look on his plump lips, and forced Rei to meet his eye.

"What?" he whispered sweetly, the barest hint of intimacy in the rush of his voice. The brunet was enthralled for a moment, but ever gently pushed Nagisa off of him and stood straight.

"I'm not ready to talk about it," he confided awkwardly, turning away to face the muddy waters. For a moment, nothing but shock registered within the writer. But like the flood of water upon the grassy banks, anger and hurt washed through his veins.

"Are you _kidding _me?" he blurted furiously. The lawyer flinched away and groaned to himself. He pursued relentlessly. "I just poured all my heart out to you, you know. I just told you all of what I've been feeling these past few weeks with no hesitations or reservations. I confessed to acting like a bitchy little kid, and you won't even tell me why the _hell _you said no in the first place?" With each word, his voice grew slightly louder, slightly more frantic like high tide coming in. "Being an introvert is no excuse not to pull your weight in a relationship or own up to your mistakes."

"I _know," _Rei sighed, frustration tinging his voice, "you're absolutely right, but I just - I'm not ready to talk about it with you. I'm sorry." He smacked his forehead against the wood, and an audible thud sounded. Nagisa rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he snapped, resting a hand against his temple and taking a deep breath. The anger gradually dissipated, and he leaned against the rail. "I forgive you - for now, I won't let it get in the way of us, okay? But make no mistake, you're gonna have to tell me about it eventually - I won't wait forever. I'm pissed and you definitely have quite a ways to go if you wanna make it up to me without actually _telling _me what the problem is." Rei sighed, perhaps out of relief for being let off the hook, and leaned in for a kiss, but was met with Nagisa's cheek - not exactly where he'd been aiming. He lingered a moment more, regretful, before pulling away.

"I'll make it up to you," he promised earnestly. "Thank you." The blonde crossed his arms, but offered a small grin.

"Don't mention it." He was about to turn away and head home alone, but just as desperate and wanting as the blond had been, Rei reached out for his hand and cried,

"Wait!" The writer glanced back, his small and tender hand still in the brunet's. "Please... Won't you walk with me? I don't want you to go yet." And, as soft and warm as the morning glory, he held Rei's hand tighter and they walked onward, leaving those lonesome weeks behind them once and for all.


End file.
